ilti 


ROOKS 


7 


DOKOTHY  DAINTY  AT 
THE  MOUNTAINS 


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'HERE!  HERE!  "  CKIED  DOROTHY,  AND  ECHO  ANSWERED,  "HERE, 
— ERE!  " — Page  4. 


DOROTHY   DAINTY 
AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 


BY 
AMY   BROOKS 

AUTHOR  OF  "DOROTHY  DAINTY  SERIES,"  "THE  RANDY 

BOOKS,"    "THE  PRUE  BOOKS,"    AND 

"A  JOLLY  CAT  TALE" 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


BOSTON 
LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 


jt,   DOROTHY  DAINTY  ^ 

TRADE-MARK 

Registered  in  U.  S.  Patent  Office 


Published,  August,  1911 


COPYBIGHT,  1911,  BY  LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


DOROTHY  DAIXTY  AT  THE  MouirrAnre 


Nortnonti  Prtst 

Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.  S  A. 


STACK 
ANNU 
5125901 


CHAPTEB  PAGB 

I.  AT  THE  CLEVEKTON 1 

II.  A  DELIGHTFUL  SURPRISE 21 

III.  AN  ENTERTAINMENT 42 

IV.  IN  A  BIRCH  ARBOR 62 

V.  THE  MOUNTAIN  PARTY 81 

VI.  THE  ECHO  CAPTURED 101 

VII.  FLORETTA'S  RETURN 122 

VIII.  AT  THE  FAIB 141 

IX.  FLOSSIE'S  LETTER 162 

X.  A  GIFT  OF  WILDFLOWERS  .       .       .       .       .  182 

XI.  ARABELLA  MAKES  A  CALL 201 

XII.  A  SERENADE    .  222 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

u  Here!    Here! "  cried  Dorothy,  and  echo  answered, 

"Here,  —  ere!  "  (Page  4)    ....      Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Often  she  looked  back,  as  she  sped  over  the  road       .      32 
"  Oh,  what  a  lovely,  lovely  story!  "  said  Dorothy  .       .      66 

With  feet  and  hands  she  strove  to  loosen  the  tough,  wiry 

vines 120 

She  took  a  few  tripping  steps,  smiling  at  her  reflection   .     176 
She  offered  two  cards  to  Floretta  210 


DOROTHY  DAINTY  AT 
THE  MOUNTAINS 

CHAPTER   I 

AT    THE    CLEVERTON 

r  MHE  great  hotel  on  the  crest  of  the  hill 
-*-  was  bathed  in  sunlight  that  poured 
from  a  rift  in  the  clouds,  as  if  sent  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  showing  the  grand  portico, 
the  broad  piazza,  and  the  flag  that  floated 
gracefully  on  the  summer  breeze. 

Its  many  windows  seemed  to  be  looking 
across  the  valley  to  opposite  mountain 
peaks,  and  one  could  easily  imagine  that 
its  wide,  open  doorway,  smiled  genially  as 
if  offering  a  welcome  to  all  arriving  guests. 


2       DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Two  little  girls  ran  across  the  lawn,  the 
one  with  flaxen  curls,  the  other  with  sunny 
brown  ringlets. 

The  fair-haired  little  girl  had  eyes  as  blue 
as  the  blue  blossoms  that  she  held  in  her 
hand,  while  her  playmate's  eyes  were  soft 
and  brown,  and  told  that  her  heart  was  lov- 
ing and  true. 

The  little  blue-eyed  girl  was  Dorothy 
Dainty,  and  the  child  who  clasped  her  hand 
was  her  dearest  friend,  Nancy  Ferris. 

Nancy  had  no  parents,  and  a  few  years 
before  Dorothy's  mamma  had  taken  her 
under  her  care  and  protection,  and  she  was 
being  trained  and  educated  as  carefully  as 
was  Dorothy,  the  little  daughter  of  the 
house. 

They  had  come  to  the  Hotel  Cleverton 
to  spend  the  summer,  and  the  first  few  days 
of  their  stay,  they  had  explored  all  the  land 


AT  THE  CLEVERTON       3 

.that  lay  immediately  around  the  hotel,  and 
had  found  many  beautiful  spots,  but  one 
thing  held  their  interest,  —  they  loved  the 
echo,  and  never  tired  of  awakening  it. 

"  Come!  "  cried  Dorothy.  "  Run  with 
me  over  to  the  white  birches,  and  we'll 
shout,  and  listen!  ' 

Mrs.  Dainty  had  told  them  the  story  of 
Echo,  the  nymph,  who  for  loving  Pan  and 
following  him  and  calling  to  him  had  been 
changed  into  a  huge  rock  on  the  mountain- 
side, and  forever  compelled  to  mock  each 
voice  she  heard. 

The  old  legend  of  the  nymph  had  caught 
their  fancy,  and  often  they  paused  in  their 
play  to  shout,  and  listen  to  what  seemed  to 
them  the  voice  of  some  fairy  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

Now  they  stood  beside  the  birches, 
Dorothy  with  one  arm  around  a  white 


4       DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

trunk,  and  Nancy  near  her.  At  their  feet 
were  countless  bluebells,  overhead  the 
blue  sky,  while  across  and  beyond  the  val- 
ley rose  the  mountain  capped  by  white 
clouds  that  looked  as  soft  as  swan's- 
down. 

"  Here!  Here!  "  cried  Dorothy,  and  echo 
answered,  "  Here,  —  ere!  ' 

"  Listen!  "  cried  Dorothy,  clasping  her 
hands,  and  laughing  with  delight.  "  It  an- 
swers as  if  it  was  a  truly  voice  that  heard 
and  replied. 

"Nancy,  I  love  you!'1  she  cried,  and 
again  they  plainly  heard :  - 

"  Love  you-oo!  ' 

They  thought  it  great  fun  to  shout  and 
call,  and  hear  their  cries  so  cleverly  re- 
peated. 

And  now  another  child  ran  out  from  the 
great  doorway,  paused  a  moment  as  if  look- 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  5 

ing  for  some  one,  then,  seeing  the  two  little 
figures  near  the  clump  of  birches,  stole 
softly  near  them. 

On  tiptoe,  and  with  tread  as  soft  and 
noiseless  as  a  cat,  she  made  her  way  over 
the  short  grass,  until  she  was  quite  near 
them.  Then,  hiding  behind  a  low  bush,  she 
watched  them.  How  still  she  stood!  For 
what  was  she  waiting?  Her  bold  eyes  were 
full  of  mischief,  as  she  whispered,  "  Oh, 
hurry  up!  ' 

Dorothy  Dainty  put  her  hands  to  her 
mouth,  trumpet  fashion,  and  called: 

"  Come  and  catch  us!  "  and  instantly  the 
echo  from  the  distant  mountain  and  a  shrill 
voice  behind  them,  repeated: 

"  Come  and  catch  us! '' 

"  Oh,  oh-o!  "  cried  Dorothy,  and  Nancy 
ran  to  her,  and  threw  her  arms  about 
her. 


6      DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  You  ought  not  to  frighten  Dorothy  like 
that!  "  cried  Nancy. 

A  saucy  laugh  answered  her. 

"  Well,  it  isn't  nice  to  be  shrieked  at,  and 
you  do  it  just  like  the  echo,  you  know  you 
do,  and  it's  enough  to  frighten  any  one," 
said  Nancy. 

The  little  tease  was  not  in  the  least 
abashed.  She  could  imitate  almost  any 
sound  that  she  had  ever  heard,  and  each 
success  made  her  eager  to  repeat  her  efforts 
at  mocking. 

"  I  made  old  Mrs.  Hermanton  fly  up  out 
of  her  chair,  and  drop  her  ball  of  worsted 
and  knitting-needles,  when  I  shouted  close 
to  her  ear." 

"  Why,  Floretta!  "  cried  Nancy. 

"  Now  you  think  that  was  horrid,  but  / 
tell  you  it  was  funny.  She'd  just  been  tell- 
ing about  her  darling  little  lap-dog  that 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  7 

died  ten  years  ago,  and  she  got  out  her 
handkerchief  to  cry,  and  put  it  up  to  her 
eyes. 

"  *  Oh,  if  I  only  could  hear  his  lovely  bark 
again!  '  she  said,  and  right  behind  her  chair, 
I  said: 

"  '  Ki-yi!  Yip!  Yip!  '  and  she  jumped  up 
much  as  a  foot  from  her  seat." 

Nancy  laughed.  How  could  she  help  it? 
The  old  lady  had  told  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  who  sat  upon  the  piazza,  how 
much  she  had  suffered  in  the  loss  of  the 
dog. 

One  testy  old  gentleman  who  was 
troubled  with  gout,  spoke  rather  plainly. 
"  Madam,"  he  said,  "  I've  heard  that  story 
every  day  of  this  week,  and  all  I  can  say  is, 
I  wish  you  had  gout  in  your  feet  as  I  have, 
and  you'd  have  no  time  to  waste  crying  for 
a  puppy!  " 


8       DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

He  certainly  was  hopelessly  rude,  but  one 
must  admit  every  day  is  far  too  often  to  be 
forced  to  listen  to  an  uninteresting  tale. 

Moretta  stood  looking  down  at  the  toe  of 
her  shoe.  She  moved  it  from  side  to  side 
along  the  grass  for  a  moment,  then  she 
spoke  again. 

"  You  know  old  Mr.  Cunningham  has 
gout,  and  is  awful  cross?  ' 

Dorothy  and  Nancy  nodded.  They  did 
indeed  know  that. 

"  Well,  he  sat  on  the  piazza  and  laughed 
when  I  scared  Mrs.  Hermanton,  so  I  want 
to  know  if  he'll  think  it's  funny  every  time 
I  do  things.  You  know  he  puts  one  foot  up 
on  a  chair,  and  every  time  any  one  touches 
that  chair  ever  so  little,  he  cries:  t  Oh,  oh, 
oh!  '  and  holds  on  to  his  foot. 

"  The  next  time  I'm  near  him,  I'm  going 
to  make  Vlieve  hit  my  foot  against  some- 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  9 

thing,  and  then  I'll  cry  out,  just  'zactly  as 
he  does: 

"  '  Oh,  oh,  oh! '  and  I'll  hold  on  to  my 
foot/'  said  Floretta. 

"  I  know  it's  funny,"  said  Dorothy,  "  but 
I  don't  think  you  ought  to." 

"  Well,  you  needn't.  P'raps  you  couldn't 
do  it  just  like  other  folks,  but  I  can,  and 
I'm  going  to!  "  said  Floretta. 

She  was  a  handsome  child,  but  her  bold- 
ness marred  her  beauty. 

She  was,  indeed,  a  clever  imitator,  but 
she  had  been  told  so  too  often.  Her  mother 
constantly  praised  her  cleverness,  and  un- 
wise friends  applauded  her  efforts,  until 
Floretta  acquired  the  idea  that  she  must,  on 
all  occasions,  mimic  some  one. 

Sometimes  those  whom  she  mocked 
thought  it  clever,  and  laughed  when  they 
had  thus  been  held  up  to  derision. 


10     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

At  other  times  Floretta  found  that  she 
had  chosen  the  wrong  person  to  mimic,  and 
had  received  a  sharp  rebuke. 

This  taught  her  nothing,  however. 

She  thought  any  one  who  did  not  enjoy 
her  antics  must  be  very  ill-natured,  while 
her  silly  mother  considered  that  Floretta 
had  been  abused. 

While  Dorothy  and  Nancy  were  talking 
with  Floretta,  they  were  picking  large 
bouquets  of  bluebells  and  a  tiny  white 
flower  that  grew  as  abundantly  as  the  blue- 
bells, and  blossomed  as  freely. 

It  pleased  her,  for  the  moment,  to  gather 
some  of  the  blossoms,  and  soon  the  three 
were  too  busy  to  talk,  each  trying  to 
see  which  could  gather  the  largest  bou- 
quet. 

On  the  hotel  piazza  Mrs.  Paxton  sat,  oc- 
cupied with  her  embroidery,  but  not  too 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  11 

busy  to  talk.  She  was  never  too  busy 
to  talk,  if  she  could  find  any  one  to 
listen. 

Near  her  sat  two  ladies  who  had  just  ar- 
rived, and  old  Mr.  Cunningham,  who 
frowned  darkly  at  the  magazine  that  he 
was  trying  to  read. 

It  was  not  that  the  story  displeased  him 
that  he  frowned,  but  that  he  was  bored  with 
hearing  what  Mrs.  Paxton  was  saying, 
mainly  because  she  always  said  the  same 
thing. 

"  You  see,  with  our  wealth  and  position, 
it  is  impossible  that  little  Floretta  should 
ever  make  any  use  of  her  talents  for  any 
purpose  other  than  the  amusement  of  her 
friends,"  she  said. 

One  of  the  two  ladies,  whose  fine  face  and 
sweet  low  voice  bespoke  refinement,  looked 
fixedly  at  Mrs.  Paxton,  and  wondered  that 


12     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

any  woman  should  be  willing  to  boast  so 
foolishly. 

The  other,  whose  garments  told  of  a  great 
love  of  display,  seemed  interested,  and  even 
impressed. 

"  What  is  her  especial  talent? ':  she 
asked,  "  I  really  should  like  to  know.  Is 
she  musical?  ': 

"  O  dear,  yes,"  Mrs.  Paxton  hastened  to 
reply;  "  she  plays  delightfully,  and  she 
has  a  voice  that  is  really  quite  unusual  for  a 
child;  she  dances,  too,  but  her  greatest  gift 
is  her  power  of  imitation.  She  has  a  sensi- 
tive nature  that  is  open  to  impressions,  and 
she  sees  the  funny  side  of  everything.  She 
really  is  a  wonderful  little  mimic.  You 
must  see  her  to  appreciate  her  charm." 

The  quiet  woman  looked  as  if  she  thought 
this  a  doubtful  accomplishment,  but  the  one 
who  had  eagerly  listened  said: 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  13 

"  .Where  is  she?  I  should  be  so  pleased 
to  see  her.  Not  all  children  are  so  interest- 
ing. Many  are  dull." 

"  And  lucky  they  are!  "  growled  old  Mr. 
Cunningham,  under  his  breath,  but  the 
ladies  did  not  hear  that. 

"  I  don't  want  these  flowers  now  I've 
picked  them,"  cried  Floretta.  "  You  can 
have  them  if  you  want  them,"  she  said,  as 
she  turned  toward  Dorothy. 

"  I  can't  hold  any  more  than  I  have," 
said  Dorothy,  "  but  you  could  —  ' 

"  Then  here  they  go!  "  cried  Floretta,  as 
she  flung  them  broadcast,  to  lie  and  wilt  in 
the  sunlight. 

"  Oh,  it  was  too  bad  to  throw  them 
away,"  said  Dorothy.  "  I  was  going  to  say, 
if  you  didn't  care  for  them,  perhaps  Mrs. 
Hermanton  might  like  them.  She  said  she 


14     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

liked  wild  flowers  and  used  to  pick  them, 
but  her  rheumatism  won't  let  her  pick  them 


now.' 


"  Pooh!  I  wouldn't  have  bothered  to 
take  them  back  to  her,"  Floretta  replied; 
and  turning  about,  she  ran  back  to  the 
hotel. 

"  Come  here,  Floretta!  "  said  Mrs.  Pax- 
ton.  "  This  lady  wishes  to  see  you." 

Usually  Floretta  when  asked  to  do  any- 
thing, preferred  to  do  something  else. 

This  time,  thinking  that  she  saw  an  op- 
portunity for  a  lark,  she  went  promptly  and 
paused  beside  her  mother's  chair. 

"  This  is  Mrs.  Dayne,  Floretta.  Mrs. 
Dayne,  this  is  my  little  daughter." 

Floretta  looked  up  and  smiled,  but  said 
nothing.  She  had  never  been  taught  that 
she  must  reply  courteously  when  spoken  to. 

Her  pretty  face  pleased  Mrs.  Dayne,  who 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  15 

was  much  the  same  sort  of  woman  that  Mrs. 
Paxton  was.  She  wished  that  Floretta 
could  be  induced  to  perform. 

Induced!  She  was  already  wondering  if 
she  would  have  a  chance  to  show  off. 

The  opportunity  came  soon,  and  she  was 
delighted. 

Mr.  Cunningham  had  become  drowsy, 
and  his  magazine  dropped  to  the  piazza 
floor. 

In  stooping  to  recover  it,  he  hurt  his 
gouty  foot,  and  cried  out. 

"  Oh,  oh-o!  "  he  cried,  and  like  an  echo, 
"  Oh9  oh-o!  "  cried  Floretta,  catching  hold 
of  her  own  foot  and  hopping  wildly 
about. 

Of  course  Mrs.  Paxton  laughed  gaily,  as 
if  Floretta  had  done  a  very  smart  thing, 
while  Mrs.  Dayne,  who  was  as  silly  a 
woman  as  Mrs.  Paxton,  joined  in  the  mer- 


16     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

riment,  thus  hoping  to  gain  favor  with  her 
new  friend. 

Mr.  Cunningham,  without  a  word,  took 
his  magazine  and,  limping  painfully,  left 
the  piazza,  and  went  indoors. 

Mrs.  Vinton,  an  odd  expression  on  her 
fine  face,  took  her  parasol  from  the  chair 
where  it  lay,  and  went  for  a  walk  down  the 
path  toward  the  birches.  She  was  dis- 
gusted with  Mrs.  Paxton,  Moretta,  and 
Mrs.  Dayne,  although  she  felt  that  the  little 
girl  was  least  of  all  at  fault. 

She  was  only  an  untaught,  untrained 
child,  to  be  pitied  rather  than  blamed.  She 
knew  that  they  would  think  her  very  un- 
kind if  she  did  not  seem  to  approve  of 
Floretta,  and  she  could  not  laugh  at  cruelty. 

The  child  was  indeed  a  clever  imitator, 
but  the  fact  remained  that  it  was  cruel  to 
mock  an  outcry  caused  by  pain. 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  17 

Dorothy  and  Nancy  were  coming  toward 
her,  on  their  way  toward  the  hotel,  their 
hands  filled  with  blossoms,  faces  bright  and 
smiling. 

They  greeted  her  gaily,  and  Dorothy  of- 
fered her  some  of  the  flowers. 

"I'll  give  half  to  you,  and  half  to 
mamma,"  said  Dorothy.  "  I  mean,  I  will  if 
you'd  like  to  have  them." 

"It  is  a  sweet  gift,  and  I  shall  enjoy 
them  in  my  room,"  Mrs.  Vinton  said.  "  I 
have  a  lovely  vase  that  is  worthy  to  hold 
such  beautiful  blossoms." 

"I'll  divide  mine  between  Aunt  Char- 
lotte and  Mrs.  Hermanton,"  said  Nancy. 

"  You  both  like  to  give,"  said  Mrs.  Vin- 
ton. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  they  cried  together,  and  as 
she  left  them,  Dorothy  said: 

"  Isn't  she  a  sweet,  lovely  lady?  " 


18     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Yes,  and  I  like  to  hear  her  talk,  her 
voice  always  sounds  so  pleasant." 

Mrs.  Vinton,  as  she  walked  along  the 
little  path,  her  flowers  in  her  hand,  thought 
of  Dorothy  and  Nancy. 

"  They  are  two  dear  little  girls,"  she 
said,  "  and  add  to  the  charm  of  this  lovely 
place." 

"  Would  you  dare  to  give  Mr.  Cunning- 
ham some  bluebells  for  his  buttonhole?  " 
said  Nancy.  "I'd  like  to,  but  I  wouldn't 
dare." 

"  I  don't  know,"  Dorothy  said.  "I'd 
like  to,  too,  and  he  'most  always  has  a  rose- 
bud, but  sometimes  he  doesn't.  When  we 
get  back,  if  he's  on  the  piazza,  and  hasn't 
a  bud  in  his  buttonhole,  I'll  try  to  dare  to 
offer  him  some  of  these  blossoms." 

Dear  little  Dorothy!  She  wondered  if 
she  would  be  rewarded  with  a  frown! 


AT   THE   CLEVERTON  19 

Floretta  and  her  mother  were  not  there, 
neither  was  Mrs.  Dayne,  but  in  a  shady  cor- 
ner sat  Mr.  Cunningham. 

Nancy  ran  in  to  take  her  flowers  to  Aunt 
Charlotte  and  Mrs.  Hermanton. 

Dorothy  hesitated.  She  would  have  been 
even  more  timid,  had  she  known  how  re- 
cently he  had  been  offended. 

He  looked  up  from*his  book,  frowned, 
then  smiled  and  nodded  pleasantly. 

He  had  thought  that  Floretta  had  re- 
turned, and  was  pleasantly  surprised  to  see 
Dorothy,  instead. 

Softly  she  crossed  the  piazza  until  she 
stood  beside  him. 

"  May  I  give  you  a  few  of  these  bluebells 
for  your  buttonhole?  "  she  said.  "  They're 
only  wild  flowers,  but  they're  pretty  ones," 
she  added,  fearing  that,  after  all,  he  might 
not  care  for  them. 


20     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Why,  thank  you,  iny  dear.  I  surely 
would  like  them,  especially  as  they  are  of- 
fered me  by  a  real  little  lady." 

He  placed  the  cluster  that  she  offered 
him  in  his  lapel,  as  he  spoke,  and  looked  to 
Dorothy  for  approval. 

"  They  are  wild  flowers,  truly,"  he  said, 
"  but  I  think  they  are  quite  as  attractive 
as  the  buds  I  have  been  wearing,"  and 
Dorothy  was  glad  that  she  had  offered 
them. 


CHAPTER   II 

A  DELIGHTFUL  SURPRISE 

nnHREE  weeks  had  passed,  and  as  nearly 
-*-  every  day  had  been  fair,  the  guests  at 
the  Cleverton  had  lived  out  of  doors,  ap- 
pearing at  the  hotel  at  meal-time,  and  at 
night. 

Other  wild  flowers  beside  the  bluebells 
were  blossoming  gaily,  peeping  up  from  the 
grass  as  if  offering  a  welcome  to  all  who 
looked  at  them;  and  even  great  rocks  and 
ledges  held  tiny  blossoming  plants  in  their 
crevices. 

The  pony,  Romeo,  had  come  to  the  moun- 
tains with  the  family,  and  seemed  to  enjoy 
the  outing. 

Every  morning  Dorothy  and  Nancy  went 
21 


22     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

for  a  drive,  and  Romeo  tossed  his  mane,  and 
pranced  as  if  to  show  his  delight. 

One  morning  the  pony  was  standing  at 
the  porch,  waiting  for  his  little  mistress, 
who  soon  came  running  down  the  stairs. 

Floretta  was  standing  in  the  hall,  spin- 
ning a  top. 

A  sign  on  the  wall  plainly  stated  that 
children  must  not  play  in  the  hall,  but  that 
did  not  disturb  Floretta. 

Deftly  she  wound  the  string,  and  the 
great  top  fell  to  the  floor,  where  it  hummed 
and  spun  as  rapidly  as  if  a  boy's  hand  had 
flung  it. 

She  picked  it  up,  and  again  wound  it,  this 
time  throwing  it  with  even  greater  force. 

"  Look!  Look!  "  she  cried.  "  I  b'lieve 
it  spins  faster  every  time  I  throw  it! ' 

Dorothy  looked  over  the  baluster  at  the 
humming  top,  but  said  nothing. 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          23 

She  knew  that  Floretta  had  seen  the  no- 
tice; indeed  a  number  of  the  children  had 
stood  in  the  hall  when  it  had  been  tacked 
up. 

Looking  up  at  Dorothy,  Floretta  noticed 
the  whip  in  her  hand. 

"  Riding?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  for  a  little  while, "  said  Dorothy. 
"  It's  a  lovely  morning,  and  I  mean  to  see 
how  quickly  Romeo  will  take  me  to  the 
*  Spring/ 

"  I  wouldn't  care  to  ride  horseback," 
said  Floretta,  rudely. 

"  You  won't  care  to  spin  tops  in  this  hall 
if  Matson  catches  you,"  cried  a  shrill  voice, 
from  an  upper  hall. 

"  Pooh!  I'm  not  afraid  of  Matson," 
Floretta  said,  boldly,  looking  up  at  the  boy 
who  had  tried  to  frighten  her. 

"  Oh,  aren't  you?  "  said  the  boy  in  a  teas- 


24     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ing  voice.  "  Well,  he  manages  this  ho- 
tel, and  he'll  make  you  stop  if  he  catches 
you!  " 

"  You  stop,  Jack  Tiverton!  '  cried 
Moretta. 

"  You'll  be  the  one  to  stop!  "  said  Jack, 
with  a  loud  laugh. 

Dorothy  crossed  the  hall,  stepping 
around  Floretta,  who  stood  exactly  in  the 
way. 

Looking  back,  she  saw  Ploretta  show  the 
tip  of  her  tongue  to  Jack,  while  Jack,  not 
to  be  outdone,  made  a  most  outrageous 
face. 

"  I    wish    they    weren't    so    horrid!  ' 
Dorothy  said  to  herself,  as  she  left  the  hall. 

Having  mounted  Romeo,  with  the 
groom's  aid,  she  rode  off  down  the  lovely, 
shady  road,  the  man  on  his  horse,  following 
at  a  respectful  distance. 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          25 

She  touched  the  pony  lightly  with  her 
whip,  and  he  responded  by  breaking  into  a 
gentle  gallop. 

Dorothy's  bright  curls  flew  back  from 
her  flushed  face,  and  she  laughed  as  she  flew 
over  the  road. 

The  groom  watched  her  admiringly,  and 
marvelled  that  so  small  a  girl  could  be  such 
a  perfect  little  equestrienne. 

The  ride  had  brightened  her  eyes,  and  she 
always  looked  smaller  than  she  really  was 
when  mounted  upon  Romeo. 

He  was  a  handsome  animal,  with  flowing 
mane  and  tail,  and  the  groom  spoke  truth- 
fully when  he  muttered : 

"  Them  two  makes  a  high-bred  pair. 
Miss  Dorothy  is  a  girl  'ristycrat,  an'  the 
little  hoss  is  a  hoss  'ristycrat,  if  ever  there 


was  one.' 


The  groom  had  been  in  the  service  of  the 


26     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Dainty  family  but  a  few  months,  but  in  that 
time  he  had  become  devoted  to  the  little 
daughter  of  the  house.  All  the  servants 
loved  Dorothy,  and  were  almost  as  fond  of 
Nancy  Ferris. 

The  young  groom  had  heard  Nancy's 
story,  and  he  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the 
little  girl,  who  once  had  been  a  waif. 

Now,  his  pleasant  face  wore  a  smile  as  he 
followed  Dorothy,  and  saw  how  firmly  the 
little  figure  stuck  to  the  saddle,  and  rode 
as  if  girl  and  pony  were  one  and  insepa- 
rable. 

They  reached  the  "  Spring,"  a  spot 
whose  beauty  drew  all  travellers  to  it,  and 
artists  lingered  there  to  paint,  and  thus 
perpetuate  its  charm. 

Romeo  looked  down  at  the  clear  stream 
that  reflected  his  figure  so  perfectly. 

"  He    wants    a    drink,"    said    Dorothy; 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          27 

"  lead  him  to  a  good  place,  Thomas, 
please." 

He  helped  her  to  dismount,  and  then  led 
the  pony  to  a  shady  spot  where  he  could 
drink,  and  enjoy  the  cool,  clear  water. 

Dorothy  at  once  commenced  to  gather 
some  of  the  lovely  wild  flowers  that  grew 
near  the  water's  edge,  but  farther  up  the 
stream. 

"  These  are  different  from  any  that  I've 
ever  found  here,"  she  thought. 

Her  hands  were  nearly  filled  with  the 
lovely  blossoms,  and  she  was  reaching  out 
to  grasp  an  especially  pretty  one,  when  a 
strangely  familiar  voice,  just  behind  her, 
said: 

"  I  think  I  see  some  one  I've  often  seen 
before! ' 

Dorothy  turned,  and  a  little  cry  of  sur- 
prise and  pleasure  escaped  her  lips. 


28     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

There  were  Mrs.  Barnet  and  dear  lit- 
tle Flossie  coming  toward  her,  while  very 
near  her  was  the  owner  of  the  .voice, 
Flossie's  handsome,  merry-hearted  Uncle 
Harry!  Just  behind  him  was  his  lovely 
young  wife,  and  the  baby  in  charge  of  a 
maid. 

"  Oh,  I  am  glad,  so  glad  to  see  you!  " 
cried  Dorothy.  "  And  Flossie  Barnet,  did 
you  know  you  were  coming  up  here,  when 
I  said  l  good-by  '  to  you  and  Molly  Mer- 
ton  at  Merrivale?  ' 

"  I  didn't  know  surely,  but  I  almost 
knew,"  Flossie  admitted,  "  but  Uncle 
Harry  said,  l  Don't  tell  'til  you  know,'  and 
I  didn't  truly  know  until  after  you  were 
gone." 

"  Well,  it's  fine  to  have  you  here,"  said 
Dorothy,  "  but  I  do  truly  b'lieve  it's  almost 
nicer  to  be  surprised,  and  have  you;  "  and 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE         29 

she  threw  her  arm  around  Flossie,  as  she 
walked  beside  her. 

Tall,  handsome  Uncle  Harry  thought  he 
saw  a  chance  for  a  bit  of  a  joke. 

"  I  wonder  why  some  one  isn't  surprised 
to  see  me?  "  he  said. 

"  Oh,  I  am,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  glad, 
too." 

"  "Well,  thank  you,"  said  Uncle  Harry; 
then  with  a  face  that  he  tried  to  make  sad, 
he  said: 

"  But  I  know  you  aren't  as  glad  as  you 
were  to  see  Flossie,  because,  —  you  didn't 
put  your  arm  around  my  waist!  ' 

He  had  tried  to  look  very  glum,  but  his 
blue  eyes  were  laughing. 

Big,  handsome  Uncle  Harry  could  not 
look  woebegone,  and  the  two  little  girls 
laughed  at  his  attempt. 

"  The  barge  is  taking  our  party  over  to 


30     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

the  '  Cleverton/  and  I  see  you  have  the 
pony,  Dorothy,"  said  Uncle  Harry.  "  Will 
you  run  a  race  with  the  barge?  ' 

"Oh,  yes,  yes!  "  cried  Dorothy,  ''and 
Romeo  will  come  in  ahead!  ' 

"If  he  does,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  "I'll 
surely  decorate  him  with  a  blue  rib- 
bon! " 

.With  many  a  laugh  and  jest,  and  much 
guessing  as  to  which  would  be  the  winner, 
the  merry  party  clambered  into  the  barge; 
Dorothy  mounted  Romeo,  and  they  were 
off  over  the  road,  on  the  way  to  the 
hotel. 

The  horses,  like  the  average  barge  horses, 
were  not  beauties,  but  they  saw  the  pony 
rush  forward,  and  they  made  an  effort  at 
speed.  They  plunged  forward,  at  what,  to 
them,  seemed  a  reckless  pace,  but  the  fine, 
handsome  Romeo  shot  past  them,  his  nos- 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          31 

trils  dilated,  and  his  eyes  bright  with  ex- 
citement. Dorothy's  gay  laugh  rang  out  as 
she  passed  them,  and  Uncle  Harry,  as  he 
looked  after  the  flying  figure,  exclaimed: 

"  The  little  fairy!  I  believe  no  other 
child  could  ride  so  fearlessly  as  that!  r 

Often  she  looked  back,  as  she  sped  over 
the  road.  Try  as  they  would,  the  old  horses 
could  not  overtake  her. 

As  soon  as  the  barge  appeared  in  sight 
between  the  trees,  she  touched  Borneo 
lightly  with  her  whip-stock,  and  then  she 
laughed  gaily  as  he  plunged  forward,  the 
old  barge  rattling  along  far  behind. 

She  did  not  permit  Romeo  to  again 
slacken  his  pace,  and  thus  arrived  at  the 
Cleverton  before  the  barge  was  in  sight,  so 
slow  had  been  its  progress. 

"  Oh,  Nancy!  "  she  cried,  "  Who  do  you 
think  has  come?  " 


32     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  ,Who  has  come? ':  Nancy  asked. 
"  Where  are  they?  " 

"  I  mean  you  can't  guess  who  is  coming, 
and  there  they  come  now,  Nancy,  just 
look!  " 

Nancy  did  look,  saw  the  barge  swing- 
ing around  the  curve  of  the  road,  saw  a 
tiny  handkerchief  waving,  and  then  a 
sweet  little  face  looked  out  to  smile  at 
her. 

"  Oh,  it's  Flossie  Barnet!  "  cried  Nancy, 
joyfully,  "  and  her  mamma,  and,— why,  yes 
it  is!  It's  Flossie's  Uncle  Harry!  ' 

He  heard  the  cry,  and  heard  the  welcome 
in  her  voice. 

"  Yes,  it's  Flossie's  Uncle  Harry,  and  all 
the  other  little  girls'  Uncle  Harry  who  care 
to  claim  him  for  an  uncle,"  he  said,  with  a 
laugh,  as  he  lifted  his  little  niece  down  from 
the  barge. 


OFTEN  SHE  LOOKED  BACK,  AS  SHE  SPED  OVER  THE  ROAD. — Page  31. 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          33 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  lie  came,  too,"  said 
Dorothy,  upon  hearing  which,  he  turned 
and  lifting  his  hat,  bowed,  thus  acknowl- 
edging the  compliment  that  she  had  paid 
him.  His  eyes  twinkled  with  pleasure,  for 
he  loved  children,  and  he  valued  their  re- 
gard. He  was  a  big,  manly  fellow,  with  a 
warm  heart,  as  loving,  and  as  merry  as  that 
of  a  child. 

The  Barnet  party  added  much  to  the 
pleasure  of  little  events  and  entertainments 
at  the  Hotel  Cleverton.  Flossie  became,  at 
once,  a  favorite  with  the  other  children, 
and  her  charming  mother  was  deservedly 
popular  with  all. 

Uncle  Harry,  who  possessed  a  fine  voice, 
willingly  sang  whenever  a  musical  program 
was  arranged  for  an  evening,  while  his 
lovely  young  wife,  who  was  an  accom- 
plished pianist,  played  his  accompani- 


34     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ments,  or  rendered  solos,  thus  generously 
adding  to  the  pleasure  of  the  other  guests. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  old  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham, "  that  big  bank  of  clouds  hanging 
over  that  mountain  means  rain,  and  plenty 
of  it,  I  believe." 

"  I  think  you  are  right,"  said  Uncle 
Harry,  "  and  if  we  do  have  a  three  days' 
rain,  as  we  sometimes  do,  we  shall  have  to 
use  every  effort  to  keep  things  humming, 
and  so  forget  the  storm." 

They  had  been  sitting  on  the  piazza,  and 
talking  of  the  days  of  uninterrupted  sun- 
shine that  they  had  enjoyed,  when,  in  a  few 
minutes,  the  blue  sky  had  been  hidden,  as 
if  by  a  thin,  pearly  veil,  while  hanging  over 
the  mountain  was  the  mass  of  leaden  clouds 
that  had  seemed  to  prophesy  rain. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  it  to  rain,"  wailed 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          35 

Floretta,  who  stood  near  them,  her  pretty 
face  puckered  into  a  most  unpleasant 
frown. 

"  I'm  afraid  the  weather  can't  be  ar- 
ranged especially  for  you,"  said  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham. 

He,  like  all  the  guests,  was  very  tired  of 
the  child  who  was  either  whining,  or  bois- 
terously, rudely  gay.  Just  at  this  point, 
Mrs.  Paxton  came  out  on  the  piazza,  a  small 
note-book  and  pencil  in  her  hand. 

She  hastened  toward  the  two  gentlemen, 
and  smiled  as  if  she  were  conferring  a 
favor. 

"  With  the  chance  of  a  stormy  evening, 
we  are  trying  to  arrange  a  program  that 
will  give  us  a  pleasant  evening  indoors," 
she  said.  "  I  am  sure  you  will  help 
me." 

She  had  smiled  at  both,  and  old  Mr.  Cun- 


36     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ningham,  who  heartily  disliked  her,  was 
only  too  glad  to  reply. 

"I'm  not  musical,  madam,"  he  said, 
"  but  I'll  whistle  '  Hail  Columbia  '  for  you, 
if  you  will  promise  not  to  reprimand  me  if 
I  get  off  the  key." 

"  Dear,  dear!  "  she  cried.  "  You  are  al- 
ways so  amusing.  One  never  knows  if  you 
are  joking,  or  serious." 

"  It  would  be  very  serious,  and  no  joke, 
I  assure  you,  if  you  were  actually  obliged 
to  listen  to  my  whistling,"  was  the  curt 
reply,  and  he  turned  once  more  to  scan  the 
sky  and  the  distant  mountains. 

Uncle  Harry,  of  course,  agreed  to  sing, 
his  wife  promised  to  play,  and  Mrs.  Paxton 
moved  toward  where  Mrs.  Dainty  and  her 
companion,  Aunt  Charlotte,  were  sitting, 
with  Dorothy  and  Nancy  near  them. 

"  Will  your  little  daughter  sing  for  us 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          37 

this  evening?  "  she  asked.  "  We  are  eager 
to  have  quite  a  fine  program. " 

"  Dorothy  shall  sing  for  you,  surely," 
Mrs.  Dainty  said,  "  and  Nancy,  I  am  sure, 
will  give  a  little  solo." 

"  Oh,  does  Nancy  sing  or  play?  "  Mrs. 
Paxton  asked,  in  surprise,  for  thus  far 
Nancy  had  not  exhibited  her  talent,  what- 
ever it  might  be. 

"  She  will  give  you  a  solo  that  shall  be 
neither  singing  nor  playing,"  Mrs.  Dainty 
replied,  with  a  quiet  smile. 

"  How  very  interesting!  "  said  Mrs.  Pax- 
ton.  She  had  invited  Dorothy  to  sing  be- 
cause other  guests  had  expressed  the  wish 
to  hear  her. 

Here  was  a  second  child  with  talent  of 
some  kind!  Well,  Floretta's  imitations  of 
other  people  would  certainly  eclipse  the  ef- 
forts of  the  other  little  girls!  Mrs.  Pax- 


38     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ton's  sole  idea  in  arranging  the  entertain- 
ment was  for  the  purpose  of  showing  Mor- 
etta's  mimicry. 

A  small  figure  paused  a  moment  in  the 
doorway,  then  stepped  back,  and  peeped 
out,  scanning  the  groups  upon  the  piazza. 

"  She  isn't  there!  '  he  whispered. 
"  She's  backed  out,  an'  she  said  she'd  do 
it!" 

He  drew  back  into  the  shadow,  and 
waited,  hoping  that  when  he  looked  again 
he  might  see  her. 

A  second  peep  at  the  guests  on  the  piazza 
showed  that  Floretta  was  not  among  them. 

"  She  didn't  try  to  do  it!  "  he  muttered. 

He  held  something  in  his  hand,  which  he 
kept  behind  his  back. 

He  was  about  to  peep  again  when  a  light 
hand  touched  his  shoulder. 

He   turned,    and   there   stood   Floretta, 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          39 

looking  prettier  than  usual  in  her  short 
white  frock,  white  shoes,  and  pink  hair 
ribbons. 

"  Did  you  get  one?  "  whispered  Jack. 

"  Look!  "  said  Floretta,  and  from  behind 
her  back  she  produced  a  long  corn-cob.  "  I 
took  mine  from  the  table  at  noon,  when  ma 
wasn't  looking,  and  ran  from  the  dining- 
room,  and  hid  it  in  our  room,"  said  Flor- 
etta. "  How  did  you  get  yours?  " 

"  I  asked  the  head  waiter  to  get  mine  for 
me,"  said  Jack,  "  and  he  acted  as  if  he 
thought  me  a  ninny.  He  gave  it  to  me  all 
the  same,  and  asked  what  I  was  up  to.  I 
didn't  tell  him,  though." 

They  giggled  softly. 

"  Ready?  "  whispered  Jack,  softly. 

"  Yes,"  whispered  Floretta,  and  then, 
with  corn-cobs  held  to  their  mouths,  and 
their  fingers  working  as  if  playing  upon 


40     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

flutes,  they  marched  out  on  to  the  piazza, 
loudly  singing,  "  Hail  Columbia." 

Some  of  the  guests  laughed,  none  so 
loudly  as  Mrs.  Paxton,  who  declared  that 
it  taxed  her  intellect  to  imagine  what  put 
such  outrageously  funny  notions  into  chil- 
dren's heads.. 

"  I  can  answer  that,  madam,  and  without 
trying  very  hard,  either.  It's  Satan, 
madam,  Satan,  who  from  watching  their 
actions,  takes  them  to  be  his  near  rela- 
tives," said  Mr.  Cunningham. 

Meanwhile  the  little  procession  of  two, 
encouraged  by  the  laughter,  marched  in  and 
out  between  the  groups  of  guests,  until  un- 
lucky Floretta  let  her  corn-cob  slip  from 
her  fingers,  the  moist,  sticky  thing  falling 
upon  the  light  silk  skirt  of  a  lady  who  sat 
near  Mrs.  Paxton. 

"  There,  there,   Floretta,  never  mind," 


A   DELIGHTFUL   SURPRISE          41 

said  Mrs.  Paxton;  then  turning  to  the 
wearer  of  the  gown,  she  said,  "  I  don't 
think  it  will  stain  it  in  the  least.  Children 
will  be  children,  and  must  have  their  fun!  ' 


CHAPTER   in 

AN  ENTERTAINMENT 

1%/TRS.  PAXTON  had  laughed  at  what 
-^•*-"-  she  chose  to  call  the  "  funny  "  an- 
tics of  Floretta  and  Jack,  but  in  truth,  she 
had  been  very  angry. 

She  swept  from  the  piazza,  Floretta, 
firmly  grasped,  walking  beside  her.  Jack 
Tiverton's  mother  took  him  to  her  room, 
where  she  could  talk  to  him,  without  fear 
of  interruption. 

Floretta  sat  on  a  low  divan,  sullen  and 
obstinate. 

For  twenty  minutes  she  had  listened, 
while  her  mother  had  told  what  a  disre- 
spectful thing  she  had  done. 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  was  not  respectful," 

42 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  43 

grumbled  Floretta,  "  we  were  just  having 
a  little  fun." 

"  And  it  was  fun  at  my  expense,5'  said 
Mrs.  Paxton.  "  I  was  annoyed,  just  when 
I  was  making  plans  for  a  fine  entertain- 
ment, to  have  you  and  that  boy  parade  out 
on  to  the  piazza  with  those  old  corn-cobs, 
singing,  or  rather  howling,  like  young  sav- 
ages! ' 

This,  and  much  more  Floretta  was  forced 
to  listen  to,  but  during  the  remainder  of 
the  scolding,  she  did  not  speak,  or  reply  in 
any  way. 

She  was  still  very  sullen  when  her  mother 
left  the  room,  and  no  one  saw  her  until  she 
appeared  in  the  dining-room  at  dinner. 

She  tasted  one  dish  after  another,  but 
managed  to  eat  but  little  dinner.  She 
wished  her  mother  to  think  that  the  scold- 
ing had  made  her  ill. 


44     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

It  proved  to  be  wasted  effort.  Mrs.  Pax- 
ton  had  been  so  interested  in  what  Mrs. 
Dayne  was  saying  that  she  had  not  noticed 
that  Floretta  let  the  various  courses  go  un- 
tasted. 

She  had  hoped  to  worry  her  mother,  but 
had  only  punished  herself! 

She  was  very  hungry  when  they  left  the 
table,  and  also  very  angry. 

"  I  might  just  as  well  have  eaten  my  din- 
ner," she  muttered,  "  she  never  noticed 
that  I  didn't." 

When  the  hour  arrived  that  had  been  set 
for  the  concert,  every  guest  was  present, 
and  all  were  talking  and  laughing  gaily, 
and  very  glad  that  an  evening's  amusement 
had  been  provided. 

Outside,  the  rain  was  descending  in  tor- 
rents, while  a  cold  wind  whistled  around 
the  corners,  as  if  demanding  admittance. 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  45 

Indoors  the  heavy  red  hangings  were 
drawn  over  the  lace  draperies,  great  logs 
blazed  in  the  fireplaces,  while  over  all 
softly  shaded  lights  gave  an  air  of  cozy 
comfort  that  made  one  feel  sheltered  and 
safe  from  the  storm. 

A  group  of  ladies  sat  chatting  together, 
and  one,  a  recent  arrival,  was  saying  that 
she  had  understood  that  children  were  not 
permitted  as  guests  at  the  Cleverton. 

"  There  are  only  a  few  children  here," 
Mrs.  Vinton  said,  "  and  some  of  them  are 
charming. ' ' 

"  While  others  are  not?  "  questioned  the 
stranger,  with  an  odd  smile. 

"I'd  rather  not  say  just  that,"  Mrs.  Vin- 
ton said,  "  but  I  will  say  that  Mrs.  Dainty's 
little  daughter,  and  Dorothy's  little  friend, 
Nancy,  and  Flossie  Barnet,  are  three  of  the 
sweetest  children  I  have  ever  met.  My 


46     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

stay  here  is  brighter  and  far  pleasanter 
because  they  are  also  here." 

"  Dorothy  Dainty  is  an  unusually  fine 
singer  for  a  child,"  another  lady  said,  "  and 
she  is  to  sing  for  us  to-night.  I  believe 
Nancy  Ferris  is  to  do  something,  but  I  do 
not  know  what.  Does  any  one  know  if 
Nancy  sings?  ': 

"I've  not  the  least  idea  what  her  talent 
is,"  said  a  pleasant-voiced  matron,  "  but 
she  is  such  a  bright,  interesting  child  that 
I  feel  sure  that  whatever  she  is  able 
to  do  at  all,  she  will  do  exceedingly 
well." 

"  Aunt  Vera  is  to  play  a  solo  for  the  first 
number,"  said  little  Flossie  Barnet,  to  a 
lady  who  sat  near  her. 

"That  is  delightful,"  said  the  lady, 
"  and  what  are  you  to  do?  " 

"  Oh,  I'll  listen,  and  listen,"  said  Flos- 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  47 

sie,  "  and  then,  111  clap  to  show  how  much 
I  liked  what  the  people  did." 

"  And  your  friend  Dorothy  is  to  sing," 
said  the  lady,  "  do  you  know  what  Nancy 
does?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do!  "  cried  Flossie,  "  and  she 
does  it  so  lovely,  you'll  wonder  how  she 
could!  I'm  not  to  tell  what  she'll  do,  none 
of  us  are  to  tell.  You'll  see  when  she  does 
it!" 

"  Dear  little  girl,  you  seem  quite  as 
happy  as  if  you  were  to  be  a  soloist,"  said 
the  lady. 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Flossie,  "  for  when  the 
other  little  girls  do  pretty  things,  I  see 
them,  but  I  couldn't  see  myself  do  any- 
thing! " 

"  Oh,  you  sweet,  funny  little  girl,"  the 
pleasant-faced  lady  said,  as  she  drew  Flos- 
sie closer,  "  I  never  knew  so  dear  a  child." 


48     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Dorothy  and  Nancy  are  dear/'  said 
Flossie,  "  and  oh,  you  hay  en 't  seen  Molly 
Merton!  She's  another  one  of  my  little 
friends,  and  she's  always  lovely  to  play 
with.  We're  always  together  when  I'm  at 
home  at  Merrivale." 

Before  the  lady  could  express  regret  that 
she  did  not  know  Molly,  the  orchestra 
began  the  opening  chords  of  an  overture. 

The  musicians  gave  an  afternoon  and 
evening  concert  daily,  throughout  the  sea- 
son, but  to-night  their  numbers  were  to 
be  interspersed  with  solos  given  by  the 
guests. 

The  orchestra  was  generously  applauded, 
and  then  a  slender  figure  in  a  gown  of  soft, 
pink  satin  seated  itself  at  the  piano,  and 
with  light  touch  and  brilliant  execution, 
played  a  rondo  that  delighted  all. 

In  response  to  repeated  applause,   she 


AN   ENTERTAINMENT  49 

played  the  "  Caprice  Hongroise,"  which 
aroused  wild  enthusiasm. 

She  smiled,  and  bowed  gracefully  in  ac- 
knowledgment, then  turning  toward  her 
husband,  who  now  stood  beside  her,  took 
from  his  hand  the  duplicate  of  the  song  that 
he  was  to  sing.  She  always  played  his  ac- 
companiments. 

How  full  of  music  was  his  rare  voice,  how 
like  the  tones  of  a  silver  trumpet  when  he 
sang  "  A  Song  of  the  Sea,"  how  tender  his 
tones  when  for  a  second  number,  he  sang  an 
"  Italian  Love  Song!  r 

"  Didn't  he  sing  fine,  just  fine?  "  Flossie 
asked,  eagerly. 

•"  Indeed  he  did,"  the  lady  replied,  "  I 
never  heard  a  more  excellent  voice." 

"  Well,  he's  my  own  Uncle  Harry!  "  said 
Flossie,  a  world  of  love  and  pride  in  her 
voice. 


50     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

A  young  girl  played  a  serenade  on  the 
guitar,  and  a  member  of  the  orchestra 
played  a  waltz  for  violin,  and  both  were  en- 
cored. 

Those  who  were  to  perform  were  in  a 
small  room  awaiting  their  turn.  They  were 
laughing  and  chatting  while  they  waited, 
and  all,  save  a  little  girl,  who  kept  apart 
from  the  others,  seemed  bright  and  happy. 
Her  eyes  were  dull,  and  her  red  lips  pout- 
ing. It  was  Moretta  Paxton,  and  she  was 
watching  Nancy  Ferris,  noticing  every  de- 
tail of  her  costume,  and  looking  as  unpleas- 
ant as  possible. 

Nancy  wore  a  frock  of  white  gauze, 
thickly  strewn  with  tiny  gold  spangles. 
Her  girdle  was  white  satin,  her  slippers 
were  white,  and  she  wore  a  cluster  of  pink 
rosebuds  in  her  hair. 

"What's   she   going  to   do?"  Moretta 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  51 

asked  in  a  fretful  voice,  but  Mrs.  Paxton, 
who  stood  beside  her,  could  not  tell  her 
that.  She  knew  no  more  of  Nancy's  talent 
than  Floretta  did. 

Floretta  had  been  angry  in  the  afternoon; 
she  had  foolishly  refused  dinner,  and  was 
very  hungry;  she  was  made  more  angry 
because  hers  was  not  the  first  number  on 
the  program,  and  now,  here  was  Nancy  Fer- 
ris wearing  a  beautiful  frock  that  far  out- 
shone her  own! 

She  was  wearing  a  simple  pink  muslin, 
and  had  felt  that  she  was  finely  dressed, 
until  Nancy  appeared. 

The  satin  girdle,  the  white  slippers,  and 
the  spangles  were  more  than  she  could  for- 
give. 

"  What's  she  going  to  do?  "  she  asked 
again,  more  fretfully  than  before. 

"  I  don't  know,"  Mrs.  Paxton  said. 


52     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"Well,  I  won't  do  a  thing  'til  I  do 
know!  "  said  Floretta. 

Silly  little  girl!  Always  a  jealous  child, 
she  now  thought  that  Nancy-  might  be  an- 
other impersonator  or  imitator,  and  she 
was  nearly  wild. 

The  orchestra  was  now  playing  a  dreamy 
waltz.  Nancy's  foot  tapped  the  measure. 
Her  eyes  were  brighter. 

"  "What  is  she  going  to  do?  "  whispered 
Floretta. 

The  tall  man,  who  had  been  announcing 
the  numbers,  now  swung  aside  the  portiere, 
and  Nancy  slipped  from  her  chair,  ran  out 
upon  the  stage,  and  then,— oh,  the  fairy 
motion  of  her  arms,  the  lightness  with 
which,  on  the  tips  of  her  toes,  she  flew 
across  the  stage ! 

With  her  finger-tips  she  lifted  the  hem  of 
her  skirt,  and  courtesied  low,  then  away  in 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  53 

a  dreamy  whirl  she  sped,  turning  to  look 
over  her  shoulder,  and  laugh  at  the  faces 
that  showed  greatest  surprise. 

On  swept  the  strains  of  sweetest  music, 
and  little  Nancy,  carried  away  with  love  of 
the  music,  danced  more  charmingly  than 
ever  before. 

Aunt  Charlotte  and  Mrs.  Dainty  watched 
her  flying  figure,  and  often  as  they  had  seen 
her,  they  knew  that  she  was  excelling  her- 
self. 

"  Nancy,  Nancy,  dear  child!  "  murmured 
Aunt  Charlotte. 

Now,  with  her  feet  crossed,  and  still  on 
the  tips  of  her  toes  she  whirled  like  a  top, 
did  the  graceful  rocking  step,  swayed  like 
a  flower  in  the  wind,  whirled  about  again, 
courtesied  once  more,  and  laughing  like  a 
merry,  dark-eyed  sprite,  ran  back  into  the 
little  waiting-room. 


54     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Oh,  what  thunders  of  applause  greeted 
her,  yet  she  sat  quietly  chatting  with  a  lady 
who  stood  near  her! 

Again  and  again  they  seemed  to  be  beg- 
ging that  the  little  dancer  might  return. 

"I'll  bow  to  them,"  said  Nancy,  and  she 
ran  out  to  do  so. 

"  Once  more,  once  more!  "  cried  an  eager 
voice,  and  then  more  clapping,  and  even  a 
few  shrill  whistles  from  some  very  young 
men  begged  her  to  respond. 

She  extended  her  arms  for  a  second,  then 
whirling  rapidly,  she  repeated  the  last  half 
of  the  dance,  courtesied  again,  and  when 
she  ran  back  to  the  little  room,  Dorothy 
embraced  her  tenderly. 

"  Oh,  Nancy  darling!  "  she  cried,  "  you 
never  danced  finer.  Do  you  know  how 
pleased  every  one  is?  ' 

"  I  danced  to  please  and  surprise  them," 


AN   ENTERTAINMENT  55 

said  Nancy.  "  I  do  love  to  see  people  look 
happy.  They  couldn't  remember  how  hard 
it  was  raining  while  I  was  whirling  and 
dancing  for  them." 

Floretta,  now  more  unhappy  than  before, 
turned  so  that  she  might  not  see  Nancy,  nor 
note  the  shimmer  of  her  spangles. 

Mrs.  Paxton,  who  had  been  talking  with 
a  friend,  now  turned  toward  Floretta. 

"  Come!  "  she  said,  "  now  run  out,  and 
do  your  very  best,  Floretta." 

"I'm  not  going  out!  "  said  Floretta. 

"  What  an  idea!  ' '  cried  Mrs.  Paxton. 
"  Of  course  you'll  run  out,  and  show  every 
one  how  cute  you  are.  Why,  I  planned  this 
entertainment  just  to  give  you  a  chance  to 
show  off!  ' 

"  And  made  me  the  last  one  on  the  whole 
list!  "  snarled  Floretta. 

"  Come,     come!  "     cried     her     mother, 


56     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  every  one  couldn't  be  first.  I  thought  I'd 
have  the  others  perform  first,  and  then  you 
could  show  who  was  the  smartest!  Come! 
They're  just  wild  to  see  what  you  can  do, 
and  they're  waiting." 

"  They'll  have  to  wait!  "  hissed  Floretta, 
like  a  cross  little  cat. 

It  was  no  use  to  urge,  plead,  or  insist. 
Floretta  was  stubborn,  and  when  once  she 
had  determined  what  she  would,  or  would 
not  do,  nothing  could  move  her. 

Prayers  and  threats  were  equally  use- 
less. 

Dorothy  sang  very  sweetly,  and  was  cor- 
dially received. 

Uncle  Harry  and  his  wife  sang  a  charm- 
ing duet  that  delighted  all,  the  orchestra 
played  a  military  caprice,  and  then  the  re- 
mainder of  the  evening  was  spent  in  a  little, 
informal  dance. 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  57 

All  was  light,  laughter,  and  music,  and 
there  were  two  kinds  of  music  that  glad- 
dened their  hearts,— the  sweet  music  of  the 
violins,  and  the  still  sweeter  melody  of 
happy  voices ! 

Silly  little  Floretta  had  ruined  the  eve- 
ning for  no  one  save  her  own  jealous  little 
self. 

Because  she  could  not  be  the  first  on  the 
program,  she  would  not  appear  at  all,  al- 
though, at  heart,  she  longed  to  show  her 
really  clever  mimicry.  Later,  after  having 
sulked  during  the  early  part  of  the  evening, 
she  refused  to  join  the  dancers,  and  ran 
away  to  her  room,  angry,  very  angry  with 
every  one  save  the  one  person  who  was 
really  at  fault,— herself. 

Her  efforts  at  imitating  would  surely 
have  amused,  and  would,  doubtless,  have 
been  well  received.  She  was  rather  a  grace- 


58     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ful  dancer,  in  any  of  the  ordinary  ballroom 
dances,  and  she  thus  might  have  joined  the 
other  children  when  the  concert  was  over. 
She  had  needlessly  spent  a  most  unhappy 
evening. 

Now,  in  her  room,  she  heard  the  strains 
of  the  orchestra,  and  for  the  first  time  real- 
ized how  foolish  she  had  been. 

"  I  had  a  chance,  and  I  lost  it,"  she 
sobbed,  but  her  tears  were  not  tears  of 
grieving.  They  were  angry  tears,  and  the 
droll  part  of  it  was  that  while  she  alone  was 
at  fault,  she  was  angry  with  every  one  but 
herself. 

For  a  few  moments  she  lay,  her  face  hid- 
den in  her  pillow.  Then,  she  turned  over 
into  a  more  comfortable  position,  and  softly 
she  whispered,  "  I'll  do  enough  to-morrow 
to  make  up! ' 

She  did  not  say  what  she  intended  to  do, 


AN  ENTERTAINMENT  59 

but  the  idea  evidently  pleased  her,  for  she 
laughed  through  her  tears. 

She  sprang  from  her  bed,  found  a  box  of 
bonbons  that  her  mother  had  won  as  a  prize 
in  an  afternoon  whist  party  the  day  before, 
and  crept  back  into  bed.  When  she  had 
eaten  nearly  all  of  the  candy,  she  sat  up 
and  in  the  softly  shaded  light,  looked  at 
the  box  with  its  few  remaining  bits  of 
candy.  She  was  wondering  where  she 
could  hide  it. 

"  Ma  will  surely  notice  the  empty  box, 
or  anyway,  IVe  made  it  almost  empty,"  she 
said.  "  She  might  not  miss  it  if  I  hid  it!  r 

She  had  never  been  taught  to  be  honest, 
so  whenever  she  did  a  naughty  thing,  her 
first  thought  was  to  hide,  or  cover  up  the 
act.  She  never  felt  regret. 

No  one  ever  heard  her  gently  say,  "I'm 
sorry." 


60     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Softly  she  crept  from  her  bed,  and  made 
her  way  across  the  floor  to  the  dressing- 
case. 

She  put  the  box  upon  the  floor,  and 
pushed  it  well  under  it,  and  wholly  out  of 
sight. 

"  There!  "  she  whispered.  "  That's  all 
right.  I  would  have  finished  the  candy,  but 
I  didn't  want  the  whole  of  it.  I  ate  the  best 
of  it.  The  others  weren't  very  nice." 

Down  in  the  long  parlor  the  guests  were 
no  longer  dancing. 

They  were  resting,  and  listening  to  a 
lovely  barcarolle  played  softly  by  the 
orchestra. 

Flossie,  clinging  to  Uncle  Harry's  hand, 
drew  him  toward  the  window. 

"  Look!  "  she  said,  as  she  parted  the  cur- 
tains. "  It  isn't  raining  now,  and  the  moon 
is  coming  out.  It  will  be  pleasant  to-mor- 


AN   ENTERTAINMENT  61 

row!    And  it  has  been  lovely  in  here  to- 
night." 

"  Dear  little  Flossie,  dear  little  niece,  it 
was  your  cheery,  loving  nature  that  led 
us  to  give  your  name  to  our  baby.  She 
has  two  fine  names,  she  is  Beatrice  Flor- 
ence. The  first  is  Vera's  mother's  name, 
the  second,  dear,  is  yours." 


CHAPTER   IV 

IN  A  BIRCH  ARBOR 

storm  had  cleared  the  air,  no  mist 
-*-  veiled  the  mountains,  the  sunlight  lay 
everywhere,  gilding  valley  and  stream. 

Many  of  the  guests  had  started  early  in 
the  morning  for  a  trip  to  a  distant  mountain 
from  the  summit  of  which  a  delightful  view 
might  be  enjoyed. 

They  were  to  ride  over  in  the  barge  to 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  have  a  picnic 
lunch  under  the  trees,  and  then  climb  the 
rugged  path  up  the  mountain  side. 

It  would  occupy  half  the  day  and  it  would 
be  afternoon  before  the  barge  would  return 
with  its  merry,  tired  party. 

Floretta  Paxton  and  Jack  Tiverton  were 

62 


IN   A    BIRCH   ARBOR  63 

usually  in  sight,  or,  as  they  were  always 
noisy,  within  hearing  might  be  nearer  the 
truth,  but  they  had  gone  over  to  a  spot  that 
the  children  caUed  "  The  Pool,"  a  bit  of 
water  not  much  larger  than  a  big  pud- 
dle. 

It  existed  only  after  a  heavy  rain,  but 
near  its  edge  the  slender  birches  grew,  and 
their  silvery  white  trunks  and  the  bright, 
blue  sky  were  clearly  reflected  on  its  sur- 
face. 

Jack  had  decided  to  launch  his  toy  boat 
there,  and,  as  Floretta  had  hemmed  the 
tiny  sails,  he  had  felt  obliged  to  listen 
to  her  coaxing,  and  permit  her  to  go  with 
him. 

"  I'll  let  you  christen  her,"  he  had  said, 
in  a  moment  of  generosity,  and  then  re- 
gretted it. 

Floretta  *s  idea  of  a  christening  ceremony 


64     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

was  very  elaborate,  while  Jack  thought 
that  shouting  the  vessel's  name,  and  shov- 
ing it  into  the  water  was  all  that  was  neces- 
sary. 

Nancy  was  helping  Aunt  Charlotte,  so 
when  Dorothy  ran  out  to  the  piazza,  she 
found  it  deserted,  and  she  stood  looking  in 
surprise  at  the  rocking  chairs  and  ham- 
mocks that  were  swaying  in  the  wind. 

"  Every  one  has  gone  somewhere,"  she 
thought;  "  didn't  any  one  stay  at  home?  ' 

She  stood  for  a  moment  in  the  doorway, 
wondering  what  to  do.  Suddenly  her  face 
brightened,  and  she  clapped  her  hands. 

"  The  very  thing!  "  she  said,  and  she 
turned  and  hastened  to  her  room  to  find  her 
latest  gift. 

It  was  a  beautiful  book  of  fairy  tales,  and 
although  it  had  been  given  her  over  a  week 
ago,  she  had  read  but  a  few  of  the  stories. 


IN  A   BIRCH  ARBOR  65 

Mrs.  Dainty  had  sent  to  the  city  for  the 
book,  and  ever  since  the  day  of  its  arrival 
Dorothy  had  been  wild  to  read  it. 

Something  had  been  planned  for  each 
sunny  day,  and  as  the  weather  had  con- 
tinued fair,  the  book  had  been  opened  but 
a  few  times,  and  then  for  only  a  brief  glance 
at  the  tales  or  the  illustrations. 

Mrs.  Dainty  had  gone  to  the  village,  a 
ride  of  about  an  hour  from  the  hotel,  and 
Aunt  Charlotte  was  still  occupied  with  her 
letters. 

Nancy  was  sealing  and  stamping  the 
envelopes,  as  Dorothy  passed  the  door. 

"I'm  going  over  to  the  little  '  birch 
arbor,'  '  she  said.  "  I'm  taking  my  new 
fairy  book  for  company." 

"Ill  come,  too,  just  as  soon  as  I've 
finished  these  envelopes,"  said  Nancy,  and 
she  began  to  work  faster. 


66     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

The  "  birch  arbor  r>  was  not  an  actual 
arbor,  but  it  was  a  lovely  spot,  and  the 
birches  were  exceptionally  fine.  Nancy 
and  Dorothy  had  often  been  there  together, 
and  they  had  given  it  the  name. 

A  tiny  mountain  brook  ran  through  it, 
and  it  was  a  lovely  spot  in  which  to  enjoy 
legends  or  fairy  tales. 

In  a  few  moments  Dorothy  had  reached 
the  place,  and  when  she  had  seated  herself, 
she  opened  the  book  where  a  fine  picture 
showed  the  prince,  whose  father  had  given 
him  three  wishes  as  his  only  inheritance, 
and  then  had  sent  him  out  to  seek  his  for- 
tune. 

Twice  she  had  commenced  to  read  the 
story,  and  had  been  obliged  to  lay  it  aside. 
Now,  with  only  the  bees  and  the  butterflies 
hovering  about  her,  she  read  the  fascina- 
ting tale. 


;OH,  WHAT  A  LOVELY,  LOVELT  STORY !  "  SAID  DOROTHY.—  Page  67. 


IN  A   BIRCH   ARBOR  67 

It  proved  to  be  even  more  charming  than 
she  had  expected. 

The  prince  was  tall,  and  dark,  and  hand- 
some, and  his  heart  was  so  good  and  true, 
that  Dorothy  felt  that  he  richly  deserved 
the  beautiful  princess  whom  he  finally  won. 

Her  eyes  sparkled  as  she  read  of  the 
great  court  wedding. 

"  And  the  lovely  princess  looked  more 
beautiful  than  ever  in  her  wedding  gown  of 
cloth  of  gold,  thickly  set  with  diamonds, 
and  her  crown  of  diamonds  and  sapphires." 

"  Oh  what  a  lovely,  lovely  story!"  said 
Dorothy,  as  she  turned  the  page. 

"  Tiny  princes  carried  her  train,  and  as 
the  happy  pair  reached  the  palace  gates, 
and  were  about  to  enter  the  royal  coach, 
the  blare  of  trumpets  sounded,  as  the 
guards  in  blue  and  gold  played  a  gay  fan- 
fare." 


68     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Toot!   Toot!   Toot!  " 

Dorothy  sprang  to  her  feet. 

It  was  as  if  those  silver-toned  trumpets 
had  sounded  close  beside  her.  A  moment 
more,  and  a  huge  automobile  appeared 
from  behind  the  trees  and  shrubbery,  and 
slackening  its  speed,  came,  at  last,  to  a 
standstill,  and  an  old  lady  leaned  out  to 
question  her. 

"  Are  we  going  in  the  right  direction, 
my  dear,  to  reach  the  Hotel  Cleverton?  '; 

Dorothy  walked  toward  the  car,  and 
looked  up  into  the  hard,  old  face. 

"  This  little  road  is  right"  said  Dorothy, 
"  but  the  broad  road  that  leads  out  of  this 
one  is  not  so  rough,  and  it  is  a  little 
shorter." 

"  There,  Minturn,  I  said  plainly  that  I 
believed  we  could  get  there  quicker  some 
other  way!  " 


IN  A   BIRCH  ARBOR  69 

"  You  are  sure  about  the  Cleverton?  ': 
the  old  lady  asked.  "  You  know  where  it 
is?" 

"I'm  staying  there  with  mamma,  and 
that  truly  is  the  right  way,"  said  Dorothy, 
her  soft  eyes  looking  up  into  the  hard,  old 
face. 

"  I  guess  I  can  trust  you,"  the  old  lady 
said,  not  smiling,  but  looking  a  bit  less 
stern. 

"  Now,  Minturn,  we'll  try  to  reach  the 
hotel,  sometime  before  dark!  '  she  said 
curtly. 

Puffing  and  whirring  the  big  automobile 
started  off  up  the  road,  the  old  lady  sitting 
stern  and  erect,  as  if  she  thought  her  driver 
needed  watching,  and  she  was  determined 
to  keep  a  sharp  eye  upon  him. 

"  Why,    how    queer!  "     said    Dorothy. 

She  didn't  even  say  '  good-bye,'  or  '  good- 


u 


70     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

morning. J  Perhaps  she  was  very  tired,  and 
forgot,"  —  then  after  a  moment  she  added, 
11  but  my  beautiful  mamma  never  forgets." 

She  went  back  to  the  pretty  spot  where 
she  had  been  reading,  and  sitting  down, 
opened  the  book,  but  she  could  not  keep  her 
mind  upon  the  stories.  The  strange  face 
of  the  old  lady  seemed  to  look  at  her  from 
the  printed  page. 

How  small  and  sharp  her  eyes  had  been, 
and  how  she  asked  the  same  question  again 
and  again.  Did  she  doubt  the  answer  given 
her? 

All  these,  and  many  more  questions  puz- 
zled Dorothy,  and  with  the  open  book  lying 
upon  her  lap,  she  looked  off  where  the  sun- 
light lay  upon  the  grass. 

She  was  still  sitting  thus  when  a  merry 
voice  aroused  her,  and  she  turned  to  see 
Nancy  running  toward  her. 


IN   A    BIRCH   ARBOR  71 

"  Oh,  Dorothy!  "  she  cried.  "  You  ought 
to  have  been  up  at  the  hotel  just  a  few 
moments  ago.  A  new  guest  came,  and 
she  was  so  cross,  it  must  be  that  she  didn't 
want  to  come.  But  if  she  truly  didn't  want 
to,  then  why  did  she?  ' 

"  Why,  Nancy,  who  wouldn't  think  it 
fine  to  come  up  here  to  the  mountains,  and 
stay  at  the  Cleverton?  "  said  Dorothy  in 
surprise. 

"  Well,  you  wouldn't  have  thought  the 
old  lady  was  glad  to  be  there,  if  you'd  seen 
her,"  said  Nancy. 

"  Oh,  was  it  an  old  lady  that  you  were 
talking  about?  "  Dorothy  asked  quickly. 

"  Yes,  and  you  ought  to  have  seen  her 
eyes  snap  when  she  scolded  her  chauffeur. 
She  told  him  she  might  have  arrived  an 
hour  before  just  as  well  as  not,  and  she 
kept  right  on  scolding  to  herself,  all  the 


72     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

way  up  to  the  piazza,  and,  Dorothy,  she 
looked  so  cross,  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  she 
was  scolding  up  in  her  room  now! ' 

"  She  must  be  the  same  one  that  was 
here  just  a  little  while  ago,"  Dorothy  said, 
"  and  she  asked  me  to  tell  her  the  nearest 
way  to  the  Cleverton.  When  I  told  her, 
she  made  the  man  rush  off  over  the  road, 
and  she  was  scolding  him  when  they 
left  here.  Perhaps  she  was  tired,  and 
will  feel  pleasanter  when  she  has 
rested." 

"  Perhaps,"  agreed  Nancy,  "  but  I  know 
Aunt  Charlotte  and  your  mamma  don't  act 
that  way  when  they  are  tired." 

Dorothy  could  not  dispute  that,  and  soon 
the  two  little  girls  were  enjoying  the  fairy 
book  together. 

"  Now,  this  is  the  story  IVe  just  been 
reading,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  this  is  the 


IN  A   BIRCH   ARBOR  73 

picture  of  the  prince.  Isn't  lie  hand- 
some? " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nancy,  "  and  doesn't  he 
look  like  Flossie's  Uncle  Harry?  " 

"  Why,  he  does,  truly,"  cried  Dorothy. 
"  I'll  show  the  picture  to  Flossie,  and  I'm 
sure  she'll  say  it  looks  ever  so  much  like 
him." 

"  Oh,  she  will,"  agreed  Nancy. 

"  Why,  it  would  look  exactly  like  him,  if 
he  only  had  a  cap  with  plumes,"  said 
Dorothy. 

Uncle  Harry,  coming  briskly  up  the  path, 
was  just  in  time  to  hear  the  last  few  words. 

"I'm  very  curious  to  know  who  it  is  who 
needs  a  cap  with  plumes,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  who  knew  you  were  right  here  to 
hear  it?  "  said  Dorothy. 

"  Oh,  was  it  a  state  secret?  "  he  asked. 
"  Well,  now  it's  a  pity  I  heard  it,  but  as 


74     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

it  happens  I  did,  I  think  I  must  ask  for  the 
rest  of  the  secret." 

"  Oh,  would  you  tell?  "  Dorothy  asked, 
turning  to  Nancy,  but  before  she  could 
reply,  Uncle  Harry  spoke. 

"I'm  really  too  curious,"  he  said,  "  so  I 
think  I'll  threaten  to  sit  on  this  stump, 
until  you  tell  me  the  secret,  and  let  me  tell 
you  two  little  friends,  that  Pve  a  secret; 
it's  a  nice  one,  too,  but,  -  '  he  paused  to 
watch  the  effect  of  his  words. 

"  But  —  But  —  "  they  cried. 

"  But,  —  "  said  Uncle  Harry,  "  I 
wouldn't  tell  mine  first!  ' 

Wag  that  he  was,  he  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  tease  just  a  bit. 

Dorothy  took  the  pretty  book,  and  open- 
ing it  at  the  page  that  showed  the  picture 
of  the  prince,  she  said,  "  We  only  said  the 
brave  prince  looked  like  you,  no,  I  mean 


IN  A   BIRCH   ARBOR  75 

you  look  like  him,  and  we  said  you'd 
look  just  like  him  if  you  had  a  cap  with 
plumes." 

Uncle  Harry  appeared  to  study  the  pic- 
ture very  carefully.  After  a  moment,  he 
said: 

"  That's  a  fine  compliment,  but  there's 
one  thing  about  it  that  worries  me,  so  I'll 
have  to  ask  about  it. 

"  In  this  picture  the  prince  wears  a  blue 
blouse  and  a  pair  of  green  shoes,  a  pink  cap 
with  white  plumes,  gray  hose,  and  crimson 
trunks.  Now,  if  I  should  decide  to  pur- 
chase a  pink  cap  with  white  plumes,  would 
you  expect  me  to  come  out  arrayed  in  all 
those  colors  ?  I  really  feel  that  the  costume 
is  a  bit,  just  a  ~bit  too  gay." 

"  Oh,  we'll  not  ask  you  to  be  quite  as  gay 
as  that,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  we'll  promise 
one  thing.  We  won't  even  ask  you  to  buy 


a  pink  cap  if  you'll  tell  us  your  secret 


now." 


He  laughed  gaily. 

"  Perhaps  I  really  ought  to  keep  it  a 
little  longer.    How  would  it  do  if  I  should 
tell  you  my  secret  some  time  next  week?  ' 
he  asked. 

"  Oh,  no,  no!  "  they  cried,  "  tell  it  now!  " 

"  Well,  then,  there's  to  be  a  fair  'way 
down  in  the  village,  a  real  country  fair,  and 
I'm  intending  to  hire  a  barge,  and  take  all 
of  the  very  young  ladies  over  with  me  to  see 
the  fun.  I  mean  ladies  as  young  as  you,  and 
Nancy,  and  Flossie.  I  shall  invite  all  the 
wee  ladies  that  are  stopping  at  the  hotel, 
and  I  shall  take  all  who  accept." 

He  looked  into  their  bright  faces,  and 
laughed  when  Dorothy  said: 

"  As  if  any  little  girl  wouldn't  accept! ' 

"  You  mustn't  expect  it  to  be  a  grand 


IN  A   BIRCH  ARBOR  77 

affair.  It  will  be,  as  I  said,  a  real  old- 
fashioned  country  fair,  but  there  will  be  a 
jolly  ride  over  there,  and  the  return  trip, 
and  I  fancy  you  will  enjoy  it  all,"  he  said, 
"  and  I  shall  have  the  delight  of  giving 
pleasure." 

A  friend  who  had  been  looking  for  Uncle 
Harry,  now  appeared  on  the  winding  path, 
a  clump  of  large  trees  having  hidden  his 
approach. 

The  two  young  men  started  off  for  a  long 
tramp,  and  Dorothy  and  Nancy  walked 
slowly  back  to  the  hotel. 

"  The  prince  did  look  like  Uncle  Harry," 
said  Nancy,  "  and  the  picture  of  the 
naughty  old  fairy  that  enchanted  the  sleep- 
ing beauty,  looks  like  the  lady  that  came 
this  morning,  and  was  so  very  cross." 

"  Then  that  is  the  same  one  who  stopped 
to  ask  the  way,  for  she  looked  just  like  that. 


78     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

I'll  always  think,  every  time  I  look  at  her, 
that  she's  the  black  fairy." 

And  when  they  ran  up  on  to  the  piazza, 
there  sat  the  very  person  whom  they  had 
been  speaking  of,  looking  somewhat  cooler 
with  her  long  travelling  cloak  removed. 

Her  black  gown  was  of  some  thin  mate- 
rial, and  just  as  the  two  little  girls  ran  up 
on  to  the  piazza,  she  dropped  the  large, 
black  fan  that  she  had  been  wielding. 

Nancy,  who  was  nearer  to  her  than 
Dorothy,  picked  up  the  fan  for  her.  With- 
out a  smile,  she  took  the  fan,  and  they 
heard  some  slight  sound.  Possibly  it  might 
have  been  a  softly  murmured  word  of 
thanks,  but  it  did  not  sound  like  it. 

"  She  seems  very  strange,"  said  Dorothy, 
"  but  perhaps  she's  still  tired." 

She  was  always  unwilling  to  say  that  any 
one  was  wilfully  rude  or  disagreeable. 


IN  A   BIRCH  ARBOR  79 

And  now  Aunt  Charlotte,  with  Mrs. 
Dainty,  came  out  to  enjoy  the  fine  air,  and 
Dorothy  and  Nancy  ran  to  them  to  tell  them 
of  the  treat  that  Uncle  Harry  had  in  store 
for  them. 

"  It's  only  a  few  days  to  wait,  and  isn't 
he  kind  to  take  us?  "  said  Dorothy. 

"  He  is  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Dainty,  "  and 
I  hope  all  his  little  friends  will  be  very 
thoughtful,  and  make  him  just  as  little 
trouble  as  possible.  He  takes  quite  a  care 
in  inviting  so  many  children." 

"  Oh,  all  the  children  love  him,  and  there 
isn't  one  who  would  want  to  be  any  bother, 
unless  it  was  Floretta,"  said  Dorothy, 
"  and  perhaps  she'll  be  having  such  a  nice 
time,  she  won't  think  to  be  naughty." 

Mrs.  Dainty  smiled  at  this  view  of  it. 
She  could  not  help  thinking  that  Flor- 
etta never  needed  time  to  think  in  order 


80     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

to  be  disagreeable,  but  she  did  not  say 
so. 

Aunt  Charlotte  Grayson,  seeing  the 
stranger  sitting  alone,  paused  near  her 
chair  to  say  a  friendly  word. 

She  remained  but  few  moments,  how- 
ever, because  the  woman  seemed  not  in- 
clined to  talk. 

Aunt  Charlotte  well  knew  that  the 
stranger  was  not  courteous,  but  she  tried 
to  think,  as  Dorothy  had,  that  fatigue,  after 
a  long  journey,  made  her  eager  for  silence 
and  rest. 


CHAPTER   V 

THE  MOUNTAIN   PARTY 

A  S  the  days  flew  by,  the  stranger  be- 
*-~  came  a  bit  more  friendly,  conversing 
sometimes  with  Mrs.  Dainty  and  Aunt 
Charlotte,  but  often,  far  more  often,  with 
Mrs.  Paxton. 

It  was  not  that  she  sought  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  Floretta's  mother;  it  was, 
rather,  that  Mrs.  Paxton  seemed  deter- 
mined to  force  the  friendship. 

"  Her  name  is  Fenton,  Mrs.  Fenton,  and 
isn't  it  odd,  my  name  was  Fenton  before  I 
married.  Floretta's  middle  name  is  Fen- 
ton. I  really  feel  almost  as  if  I  were  related 
to  her,  because  of  the  name,"  declared  Mrs. 
Paxton  one  morning,  whereupon  Mrs. 

81 


82     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Fenton,  coming  out  on  to  the  piazza,  re- 
marked : 

"  Oh,  indeed!  " 

Mrs.  Paxton  blushed  and  hesitated,  then 
recovering  herself,  she  said: 

"  I  was  just  telling  these  ladies  of  my 
friendly  feeling  for  you." 

"  Oh,  indeed!  "  Mrs.  Fenton  repeated,  as 
she  sank  into  a  large  rocker,  and  looked  off 
across  the  valley  to  the  distant  mountains. 

After  a  few  moments  she  seemed  to  have 
lost  interest  in  the  view,  and,  taking  up  a 
small  embroidery  frame,  commenced  to  ply 
her  needle  as  if  she  were  eager  to  finish  the 
pretty  doily. 

Two  little  figures  came  slowly  up  the 
path  to  the  piazza.  They  were  returning 
from  the  christening  of  the  little  boat. 

"  What  is  wrong,  Jack?  You  don't  look 
very  happy, "  said  Mrs.  Tiverton. 


THE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  83 

"  He  wanted  me  to  christen  his  boat,  but 
he  wouldn't  give  it  my  name!  "  said  Flor- 
etta,  before  Jack  could  reply. 

"  She  thought  just  because  she  hemmed 
the  sails  I'd  name  it  the  Floretta,  but  I 
wouldn't,  so  I  shoved  it  into  the  water  my- 
self, and  shouted  Carlotta.  That's  the  name 
of  a  girl  that  goes  to  my  school,  and  I  like 
her." 

"  You  say  Floretta  hemmed  your  sails," 
said  Mrs.  Tiverton. 

"  Well,  I  thanked  her  for  that,  and  I  let 
her  go  to  the  launching,  and  I  let  her  chris- 
ten it,  but  I  don't  see  that  I  need  name  it 
for  her,"  said  Jack,  stoutly. 

Mrs.  Fenton  had  not  heeded  what  the 
children  were  saying.  One  might  have  fan- 
cied that  she  did  not  hear,  although  both 
Floretta  and  Jack  stood  quite  near  her 
chair. 


84     DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

A  large  spool  that  she  had  wound  with 
colored  silk  slipped  from  her  lap,  and  rolled 
toward  Floretta. 

"  Pick  it  up,  dear,"  Mrs.  Paxton  said. 

"  Don't  want  to,"  said  Floretta. 

Mrs.  Fenton  stooped,  and  recovered  the 
spool,  and,  taking  her  embroidery  frame  in 
her  hand,  left  the  piazza,  and  mounted  the 
stairs  to  her  room. 

"  Why  were  you  so  rude?  "  said  Mrs. 
Paxton,  but  Floretta,  perching  upon  the 
low  railing,  began  softly  humming  "  Yan- 
kee Doodle." 

Jack  Tiverton,  espying  a  boy  that  he 
knew,  whistled  loudly,  and  then,  as  the 
other  boy  turned,  ran  after  him,  the  two 
whooping  and  shouting  like  savages. 

"It  is  almost  lunch  time,  Jack!  "  Mrs. 
Tiverton  cried,  and  the  boy  turned,  and 
waved  his  hand  to  show  that  he  heard  her. 


THE   MOUNTAIN  PARTY  85 

"  Boys  aren't  apt  to  forget  meal  time," 
muttered  old  Mr.  Cunningham  behind  his 
paper. 

True  enough,  Jack  returned  in  ample 
time,  and  was  the  first  at  the  table. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Dorothy  and 
Nancy  went  out  for  a  drive  with  Romeo. 

It  was  one  of  those  sunny  days  that  tempt 
nearly  every  one  to  ride  or  walk. 

The  mountain  roads  were  rather  lonely, 
and  Mrs.  Dainty  insisted  that  whether  Dor- 
othy were  riding  Romeo,  or  driving  in  the 
phaeton,  the  groom  must  ride  at  a  little  dis- 
tance behind  her. 

There  were  the  lovely,  slender  birches  on 
either  side  of  the  roads,  there  were  patches 
of  bright  green  moss  upon  which  the  sun- 
light rested,  there  were  blackberry  vines 
and  woodbine  wreathing  the  low  stone 
walls,  and  here  and  there  a  mullein  raised 


86     DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 
its  stately  head  from  its  base   of  velvet 
leaves. 

Oh,  it  seemed  like  an  enchanted  country, 
where  new  beauties  were  to  be  found  on 
either  hand! 

"  Look!  "  cried  Dorothy,  "  close  beside 
that  mullein  is  an  evening  primrose,  and 
their  blossoms  are  the  same  color." 

Then  a  tiny  chipmunk  sprang  upon  the 
wall,  sat  erect,  and  watched  them  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  ran  up  the  trunk  of  a  slender 
tree,  where  from  a  low  branch  he  watched 
until  they  had  passed.  Then  back  to  the 
wall  he  sprang,  where  he  chattered  as  if 
scolding  the  little  girls  who  had  disturbed 
his  solitude.  It  may  be  that,  instead,  he 
was  talking  to  himself,  and  telling  what 
charming  little  girls  they  were. 

rA  long  way  from  the  hotel  they  passed 
Jack  Tiverton,  with  a  number  of  other  boys 


TEE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  87 

who  were  staying  at  a  hotel  a  few  miles 
distant  from  the  Cleverton. 

They  were  all  somewhat  larger  than 
Jack,  and  he  thought  it  fine  to  be  with  them. 

He  had  met  them  at  a  ball  game  three 
weeks  before,  and  he  had  been  very  busy 
holding  their  acquaintance  ever  since. 

11  We're  going  to  catch  the  echo,  and 
keep  it,  too!  "  shouted  Jack. 

"  It's  mocking  you  now,"  said  Dorothy, 
with  a  laugh. 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Jack,  "  but  we'll  catch 
it,  and  fasten  it  so  it  can't  get  away." 

"  How  will  you  fasten  an  echo?  "  Nancy 
asked,  turning,  and  looking  over  her  shoul- 
der as  the  little  phaeton  sped  past. 

"  Trust  us  to  find  a  way!  "  cried  Jack, 
and  the  others  laughed  as  if  they  already 
knew  exactly  how  to  do  it. 

They  left  the  road,  and,  vaulting  over  the 


88     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

wall,  crossed  the  open  field,  singing  a  gay, 
rollicking  song  as  they  went. 

"  They  just  say  they're  going  hunting  for 
the  echo,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  they  say  it 
for  fun,  but  I  wonder  where  they  are 
going,  and  what  they  truly  are  going  to 
do." 

The  groom,  riding  nearer,  touched  his 
hat. 

"  Please,  Miss  Dorothy,  I  heard  the  lads 
saying  that  there's  an  old  house  over  near 
that  mountain,  where  a  hermit  lived  years 
ago,  and  they're  off  to  find  it  if  they 


can.' 


. . 


Then  why  didn't  they  say  so,  instead 
of  telling  such  a  tale  about  catching  the 
echo?  "  Dorothy  asked. 

"  They  were  saying  that  they  wanted  to 
find  the  hut,  and  hunt  in  it,  and  around  it 
ter  find  things  the  old  fellow  may  have  hid- 


THE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  89 

den.  They  feared  you  or  Miss  Nancy  might 
tell  some  other  lad.  They're  wanting  it  all 
to  themselves." 

Having  told  this  bit  of  information,  the 
groom  allowed  the  carriage  to  pass  him, 
and  once  more  rode  behind  it. 

The  two  little  girls  talked  of  the  long 
tramp  that  the  boys  would  have  before  they 
would  find  the  hermit's  hut. 

"  And  perhaps  they  won't  find  it  at  all, 
after  all  their  hunting,"  said  Nancy. 

"  Well,  I  hope  they  will,"  said  Dorothy, 
"  because  it's  so  horrid  to  hunt  and  hunt, 
for  nothing." 

"  Oh,  look!  "  she  cried  a  moment  later. 
"  See  the  lovely  mosses!  Let's  take  some 
back  to  mamma  and  Aunt  Charlotte." 

They  were,  indeed,  beautiful.  There  was 
green  moss  that  looked  like  velvet,  and 
gray  moss  formed  like  tiny  cups  with  scar- 


90     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

let   edges,   and   other   moss    tipped   with 
red. 

On  an  old  stump  they  found  shell-like 
fungus,  some  a  creamy  white,  others  white, 
with  soft  brown  markings. 

Oh,  a  fine  collection  of  rarely  beautiful 
mosses  and  lichens  they  gathered,  and 
heaped  on  the  bottom  of  the  phaeton. 

Romeo  turned  his  head  to  watch  them  as 
if  he  wondered  when  they  would  have  gath- 
ered enough. 

"  Oh,  we  do  keep  you  standing,  dear, 
don't  we?  "  Dorothy  said,  patting  his  neck 
as  she  spoke. 

"  Oh,    you    needn't    look    for    sugar," 
she   said,   laughing,   "  for  I  haven't   any, 
with  me,   but   we'll   get   you   some   fresh 
clover." 

With  Nancy's  help  she  soon  had  a  fine 
bunch  of  pink  clover  for  Eomeo,  and  he 


THE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  91 

seemed  quite  as  pleased  as  if  it  had  been 
the  cubes  that  he  so  often  enjoyed. 

When  the  party  of  boys  had  left  the  road 
to  cross  the  fields  that  lay  between  them, 
and  the  forest  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, they  had  believed  that  they  knew 
exactly  how  to  go  to  reach  the  hermit 's 
hut. 

The  old  hermit  had  been  dead  for  years, 
but  every  season  the  summer  guests  at  the 
hotels  and  farmhouses  searched  all  around 
the  deserted  hut,  expecting  to  find  some 
relic  to  take  home  and  label  as  a  bit  of  the 
hermit's  property. 

The  boys  supposed  that  they  had  the 
woods  to  themselves,  and  that  they  would 
be  uninterrupted  in  their  search  of  the 
place. 

They  did  not  know  that  the  mountain 


92     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

climbers  had  taken  the  same  direction,  in- 
tending, before  they  enjoyed  their  lunch 
beneath  the  trees,  to  stop  at  the  old,  de- 
serted house. 

Mrs.  Paxton  and  little  Floretta  had 
worked  more  persistently  than  any  others 
of  the  party,  and  Mrs.  Paxton  had  found 
a  small,  brass  button. 

The  others  had  laughed  at  the  prize,  ask- 
ing her  if  she  intended  to  keep  it  as  a  sou- 
venir. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Paxton.  "I'm 
sure  this  brass  button  must  have  belonged 
on  some  old  coat  that  the  hermit 
wore!  " 

"  Perhaps  in  his  youth,  before  he  came 
up  here  to  live,  he  may  have  been  a  jani- 
tor," said  a  young  man,  with  a  saucy 
laugh. 

"  Or  a  brakeman,"  suggested  another. 


THE   MOUNTAIN  PARTY  93 

Mrs.  Paxton  pretended  not  to  hear  their 
teasing,  and  though  the  prize  that  she  had 
found  had  been  only  a  valueless  thing,  she 
kept  it. 

Floretta  was  very  eager  to  stay,  and  con- 
tinue to  peep  into  cracks  in  the  floor  and 
walls,  and  to  poke  with  a  stick  under  the 
doorsill,  and  in  the  soft  earth  around  the 
hut. 

The  older  members  of  the  party  knew 
that  if  they  were  to  ascend  the  mountain, 
see  the  view,  and  descend  before  twilight, 
they  must  start  at  once. 

As  soon  as  their  picnic  lunch  had  been 
enjoyed  they  commenced  to  climb  the 
rugged  mountain  path. 

It  was  very  steep  and  rough,  and  it  had 
been  said  that  no  children  should  be  al- 
lowed in  the  party. 

Mrs.  Paxton  had  insisted  that  her  small 


94     DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

daughter  was  a  wonderful  little  climber, 
who  was  quite  equal  to  the  demands  of  a 
long  tramp. 

Floretta  had  wished  to  remain  at  the  hut, 
but  as  she  could  not  do  that,  she  proceeded 
to  make  herself  as  unpleasant  as  possible, 
by  complaining  every  step  of  the  way,  until 
one  young  man  voiced  the  feeling  of  the 
entire  party. 

"  This  is  a.  horrid,  rough  old  path,  and 
I'm  tired.  I  wish  I'd  stayed  at  home!  " 
said  Floretta. 

"  I  wish  so,  too!  "  said  the  young  man, 
and  several  of  the  party,  too  polite  to  say 
it,  at  heart,  agreed  with  him. 

Floretta 's  was  the  only  gloomy  face, 
however.  The  others  tramped  gaily  on- 
ward, singing  snatches  of  song,  and  laugh- 
ing as  they  stepped  upon  rolling  stones,  or 
tripped  over  long,  gnarled  roots  that  rose 


THE   MOUNTAIN  PARTY  95 

above  the  surface,  as  if  especially  designed 
to  catch  lagging  feet. 

"All  day  upon  the  hills 
We've  chased  the  chamois  far, 
But  deeper  joy  now  thrills 
Beneath  the  evening  star." 

The  youth  sang  gaily,  and  several  of 
his  friends  joined  him  in  singing  the  old 
song. 

Arrived  at  the  summit  they  rested,  en- 
joyed the  view,  laughed  and  joked  about 
their  weariness,  and  made  many  wild 
guesses  as  to  how  long  it  would  take  them 
to  make  the  descent  and  drive  back  to  the 
hotel. 

"  It  will  be  three  o'clock  before  we  reach 
the  Cleverton,"  said  one. 

"  Nonsense !'  cried  another,  "  this  is 
really  called  a  mountain  by  courtesy.  It's 


96     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

only  a  big  hill.  I  say  we  shall  be  on  the 
piazza,  and  wondering  what  we  can  do  next, 
as  early  as  half -past  two." 

"It's  more  likely  to  be  half -past  three!  ' 
declared  another,  and  when  all  felt  suffi- 
ciently rested,  they  commenced  the  descent. 

Moretta  refused  to  keep  closely  beside 
her  mother,  insisting  upon  clinging  to  an- 
other member  of  the  party,  to  whom  she 
had  taken  a  fancy. 

The  party  was  a  large  one,  much  larger, 
indeed,  than  had  at  first  been  planned,  and 
while  half  of  the  number  were  guests  at  the 
Cleverton,  the  others  were  from  the  Mer- 
lington,  a  hotel  situated  nearer  the  village, 
and  from  several  large  farmhouses  that  en- 
tertained summer  boarders. 

The  guests  from  the  Cleverton  had  kept 
closely  together  during  the  trip,  while  those 
from  the  Merlington  had  done  the  same. 


THE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  97 

They  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  were  tramping  along  a  path  that 
ran  nearly  parallel  to  that  on  which  the 
hermit's  house  stood. 

Floretta  saw  the  boys,  near  the  house, 
and  also  saw  that  Jack  Tiverton  was  with 
them. 

Without  a  word,  she  left  the  lady  to 
whose  arm  she  had  been  clinging,  and  ma- 
king her  way  along  behind  bushes  and  un- 
derbrush, she  managed  to  sneak  in  at  the 
door  of  the  hut,  without  having  been  seen 
by  the  party  of  boys. 

The  lady,  with  whom  she  had  been  walk- 
ing, supposed  that  she  had  run  back  to  join 
her  mother,  while  Mrs.  Paxton  felt  quite 
undisturbed,  because  she  believed  that  her 
little  girl  was  still  clinging  to  the  arm  of 
the  lady  with  whom  she  had  chosen  to 
walk. 


98     DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

It  had  required  two  barges  to  convey  the 
party,  and  now  they  found  them  waiting, 
the  horses  a  bit  impatient  to  be  off. 

The  guests  from  the  Merlington  clam- 
bered into  the  first  barge,  and  they  with  a 
few  of  the  farmhouse  party  filled  it  to  over- 
flowing, some  of  the  men  being  obliged  to 
ride  homeward,  seated  upon  the  steps. 
Meanwhile  the  Cleverton  people  were 
forced  to  wait  until  the  barge  for  their 
party  drove  up. 

The  first  barge  had  started,  and  was  roll- 
ing along,  and  a  chorus  of  college  songs  was 
wafted  back  on  the  breeze,  while  handker- 
chiefs fluttered  as  the  gay  passengers 
laughed  at  the  crowd  that  had  not  yet 
started. 

Mrs.  Paxton  paused  with  her  foot  on  the 
step,  and  looked  back. 

"  Why,  where's  Floretta?  "  she  asked. 


TEE   MOUNTAIN   PARTY  99 

"  In  the  first  barge/'  cried  a  voice  in 
reply. 

"  Are  you  sure?  "  she  asked. 

"  Why,  certainly,"  said  the  other,  "  she's 
with  that  tall,  fine-looking  lady  from  the 
Merlington.  She'll  be  home  before  you 


are. ' 


The  second  barge  was  soon  filled  and  on 
its  way.  The  horses  were  less  fresh  than 
those  of  the  first  barge,  and  seemed  deter- 
mined to  lag.  Indeed,  they  required  con- 
stant urging  to  keep  them  from  dropping 
into  a  slow  walk. 

"  Those  other  fellows  ahead  of  us  started 
some  lively  college  songs,"  said  a  disgusted 
passenger,  "  and  they're  actually  out  of 
sight  now;  but  the  way  these  nags  are  po- 
king I  couldn't  think  of  anything  to  sing 
that  would  be  slow  enough  to  be  appropri- 
ate." 


100   DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

And  while  one  barge  was  going  over  the 
road  at  a  lively  rate  of  speed,  and  the  other 
jogging  along  at  a  snail's  pace,  Floretta,  at 
the  hut,  was  having  a  most  exciting  time. 

Once  inside  the  place,  she  had  crouched 
beneath  a  window  to  learn,  if  possible,  what 
the  boys  were  talking  about. 

She  had  wanted  to  remain  there  when  the 
party  had  started  for  the  mountain  path, 
and  she  had  been  very  impatient  during  the 
long  tramp.  She  cared  nothing  for  the 
view,  and  determined,  on  the  return,  to 
stop,  if  only  for  a  few  moments,  at  the  hut. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE  ECHO   CAPTURED 

T7ILORETTA  had  intended  to  hunt  for 
-•-  treasure,  hoping  to  get  something  more 
valuable  than  the  brass  button  that  her 
mother  had  found. 

She  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  Jack  Tiver- 
ton,  but  of  those  larger  boys  she  was  not 
quite  sure. 

As  she  knelt  beneath  the  window  she 
could  hear  only  the  voices  of  the  boys  that 
were  nearest  to  the  hut,  and  hearing  only 
parts  of  their  conversation,  she  could  not 
understand  what  the  first  speaker  expected 
to  find. 

"  If  I  find  it,  I'll  put  it  where  it  will  be 

safe,"  he  said. 

101 


102  DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  a  voice  more 
distant  replied. 

She  did  not  hear  what  it  said,  but  she  did 
hear  the  answer  made  by  the  boy  who  had 
first  spoken. 

"  If  the  ghost  of  the  old  hermit  was  in 
the  hut,  it  might  hear  you." 

"  Yes,  and  what  would  he  say  about  your 
hunting  for  things  that  may  have  belonged 
to  him? "  said  another,  with  a  teasing 
laugh. 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  afraid,"  was  the  careless 
answer. 

"  You're  not? '  jeered  a  laughing 
voice. 

"  I  think  we've  poked  around  out  here 
long  enough  without  finding  anything," 
said  Jack  Tiverton,  "  let's  hunt  inside  the 
house." 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  called  a  boy  who  had 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  103 

not  yet  spoken,  "  just  till  I've  looked  into 
this  hollow  tree  trunk." 

"  And  then  what?  "  asked  a  merry  voice. 

"  Then  hunt  in  the  house,  of  course!  ' 
was  the  curt  reply. 

Floretta  thought  she  saw  a  chance  for 
fun. 

Softly,  yet  quickly,  she  crept  up  the  rick- 
ety little  stairway,  built  close  against  the 
wall,  and  leading  to  the  tiny  loft. 

The  loft  was  really  little  more  than  a 
space  beneath  the  roof  where  the  old  her- 
mit might  have  stored  a  few  provisions. 
She  could  not  stand,  or  even  sit,  erect,  and 
she  crouched  upon  the  bit  of  dusty  flooring. 

She  was  none  too  soon,  for  in  a  few  sec- 
onds the  boys  rushed  in,  and  then  began  a 
discussion  as  to  whether  it  would  be  safe 
to  take  a  plank  up  from  the  floor  to  look 
beneath  it  for  hidden  treasure. 


104    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  You  oughtn't  to  do  that,"  said  Jack 
Tiverton,  "  somebody  might  arrest  you, 
or  all  of  us,  if  folks  found  out  we  did 
it." 

"  Arrest  us  for  spoiling  a  floor  in  this  old 
hut!  "  cried  an  older  boy.  "  I  wonder  you 
don't  think  the  old  hermit  might  holler  if 
he  heard  us  pull  up  a  plank!  ' 

"  Well,"  said  Jack  stoutly,  "  you'd  be  as 
scared  as  I  would  if  he  did  holler!  ' 

"  You're  a  small  boy,  Jack,  and  easily 
scared,"  was  the  taunting  reply. 

"  Well,  pull  up  a  plank,  and  see  what 
happens.  I  dare  you  to!  "  cried  Jack. 

"  Here  goes  then!  "  said  the  older  boy, 
and  catching  hold  of  a  plank  that  had  rotted 
at  one  end,  he  pulled  it  up. 

"  Oh,  let  it  alone!  "  groaned  a  boy  in  a 
farther  corner  of  the  room,  in  an  attempt  to 
imitate  an  old  voice. 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  105 

"  Oh,  let  it  alone!  "  came  in  exactly  the 
same  voice  from  the  loft. 

Sidney  Cumston,  the  big  boy,  who  had 
laughed  at  little  Jack  Tiverton,  dropped 
the  plank,  and  turned  pale,  while  not  a  boy 
spoke  or  moved. 

"Come,  come!"  said  Sidney,  when  he 
caught  his  breath,  "  we're  a  precious  pack 
of  sillies!  Help  me  lift  this  big  board,  will 
you?  " 

"  Will  you?  '  came  from  the  loft,  in 
the  very  manner  in  which  he  had  said 
it. 

Again  he  dropped  the  plank. 

"  What  does  it  mean?  "  cried  Sidney. 

"  Mean?  "  came  his  last  word  repeated. 

The  boys  were  now  thoroughly  fright- 
ened. 

"  Come! '  cried  Sidney,  "  let's  leave 
here!  " 


106    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Here!  "  came  a  repetition  of  his  last 
word,  and  big  as  lie  was,  he  had  turned  to 
run,  when  a  faint  ripple  of  smothered 
laughter  came  down  from  the  loft. 

Immediately  Sidney's  pale  face  flushed 
red.  It  flashed  through  his  mind  that  these 
younger  boys  had  seen  that  he  was  fright- 
ened. 

He  had  been  laughed  at  by  the  owner  of 
the  voice  that  had  mocked  him,  and  the 
boys  would  never  stop  laughing. 

Quickly  he  mounted  the  steps,  and 
roughly  he  dragged  little  Moretta  from  her 
hiding  place,  half  carrying  her  down  the 
stairway,  because  it  was  too  narrow  for 
two  to  descend. 

"  So  you  thought  it  was  funny,  just 
funny  to  mock  us,  did  you?  "  he  asked, 
when  they  reached  the  floor. 

Moretta  was  not  laughing  now. 


TEE   ECHO   CAPTURED  107 

She  was  sullen,  and  at  the  same  time 
frightened. 

What  would  they  do  to  her? 

They  crowded  around  her,  frowning  and 
making  all  sorts  of  wild  suggestions  as  to 
what  should  be  done  with  her. 

"  Keep  her  mocking  till  she's  got  enough 
of  it!  "  cried  one. 

"  Put  her  back  in  the  loft,  and  leave  her 
there!  She  seemed  to  like  there,"  said  an- 
other. 

The  big  boy,  whose  hand  was  still  on  her 
shoulder,  was  more  angry  than  either  of  the 
others. 

He  was  a  bully,  always  ready  to  torment 
some  one  smaller  than  himself. 

He  had  reason  to  be  provoked  with  Flor- 
etta,  and  the  fact  that  she  was  only  a  little 
girl,  made  no  impression  upon  him. 

He  would  as  willingly  punish  a  girl,  as  a 


108  DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

boy,  and  the  fact  that  his  captive  was 
smaller  than  he,  only  proved  that  the  task 
would  be  an  easy  one. 

"  You  think  it's  smart  to  imitate,  and  it 
is.  P'raps  you  think  you're  the  echo  that's 
over  in  the  mountain!  "  he  sneered. 

She  made  no  answer.  She  was  crying 
now. 

"  Say!  Let  her  off!  "  cried  Jack  Tiver- 
ton.  "  She's  only  a  girl!  ' 

The  smallest  boy  in  the  crowd,  he  saw 
Sidney's  cowardice. 

"  Oh,  are  you  sweet  on  Floretta?  "  jeered 
Sidney. 

Jack  drew  back  abashed.  He  did  not 
like  Floretta  at  all,  but  he  did  think  it 
mean  for  a  big  boy  to  frighten  so  small  a 
girl. 

"  I  ain't  going  to  hurt  you,"  said  Sidney, 
"  but  I'm  going  to  give  you  a  chance  to 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  109 

play  echo,  till  you're  tired  of  it.  I  guess 
you'll  get  enough  of  it  before  you  get 
through! 

"  Come,  fellows!  Get  some  good  long 
pieces  of  wild  grape-vine!  I'll  fasten  Miss 
Echo  where  she  can  shout  all  day,  and  no- 
body '11  stop  her!  " 

"  I  won't  go  with  you!  "  screamed  Flor- 
etta,  who  had  found  her  voice,  "  You  sha'n't 
tie  me!  ' 

"  Oh,  is  that  so?  "  said  Sidney,  in  a  teas- 
ing tone.  "  We'll  tie  you  so  you  can't  get 
away!  ' 

She  pulled  back. 

"  No,  you  don't!  "  said  Sidney,  grasping 
her  arm  with  a  firmer  hold. 

"  Now,  walk  right  along,  or  these  other 
fellows  will  help  me  carry  you!  "  he  added, 
and  Floretta  thought  best  to  walk. 

"  Where '11  you  take  her?  "  asked  one. 


110    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Right  there,"  said  Sidney.  "  That 
rock  is  just  covered  with  vines  that  cling 
fast  to  it.  Hurry,  now!  Pull  down  some 
long,  strong  pieces!  Here,  you  scratch  like 
a  cat!  Stop  that!" 

Moretta,  half  wild  to  get  away,  was  at- 
tacking his  hand  in  the  manner  of  a  little 
wild  animal. 

"  Let  me  go,  then!  "  she  screamed. 

"  Not  much!  "  cried  Sidney,  and  with  the 
help  of  another  boy,  he  dragged  her,  scream- 
ing and  kicking,  all  the  way,  until  they 
reached  the  rocky  ledge. 

"  There,  now!  Hold  on!  You're  show- 
ing too  much  temper!  "  cried  a  stout  lad 
who  was  helping  to  bind  her. 

"  I  won't  stay!  You  sha'n't  tie  me!  "  she 
screamed,  but  without  replying,  they  drew 
the  tough  vines  closer  about  her,  lashing  her 
into  such  a  network  of  stems  and  stout 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  ill 

vines  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  her  to 
escape. 

"  There!  "  cried  Sidney,  when  he  felt  sure 
that  she  was  securely  made  a  little  pris- 
oner, "  You  can  shout  till  you're  tired,  and 
if  you  want  to  mock  any  one,  you  can  mock 
yourself!  Good-afternoon,  Miss  Echo!  ' 

He  lifted  his  cap,  with  elaborate  courtesy, 
and  marched  off  whistling: 

"  The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me." 

They  did  not  look  back.  Sidney  marched 
boldly  away,  believing  that  he  had  done  a 
very  smart  thing,  but  the  other  boys  felt 
less  comfortable. 

They  had  been  angry  with  her,  and  they 
had  wished  to  see  her  punished,  but  they 
could  not  help  thinking  that  she  was  a  little 
girl,  and  they  were  leaving  her  alone  in  the 
woods! 


112  DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Jack  Tiverton  was,  by  far,  the  most  un- 
easy. 

He  was  the  smallest  of  the  party,  and, 
while  he  had  asked  Sidney  to  let  Flor- 
etta  go,  he  had  known  it  was  useless  to  do 
more. 

The  eight  other  boys  were  stronger  than 
he,  and  any  attempt  upon  his  part  to  free 
her  would  be  worse  than  useless.  They 
would  not  listen,  but  instead,  would  pounce 
upon  him. 

The  other  boys  talked,  laughed,  and  whis- 
tled, to  imply  that  they  were  not  thinking 
of  what  they  had  done,  but  all  the  way  back 
to  the  Cleverton,  little  Jack  was  wondering 
what  he  could  do. 

He  dared  not  go  straight  to  Floretta's 
mother,  and  tell  her  of  her  little  girl's 
plight. 

He  knew  if  he  did  that,  the  boys  would 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  113 

soon  learn  who  had  played  "  tell-tale,"  and 
then,  --  what  would  they  do  to  him  ? 

And  yet,  he  was  determined,  in  some  way, 
to  help  Floretta. 

How  could  he  let  a  little  girl  stay  out 
there  in  the  woods  all  night? 

Of  course  some  one,  walking  through  the 
woods  might  find  her,  but  if  no  one  hap- 
pened to? 

Jack  knew  that  the  risk  was  too  great. 
It  was  just  before  he  reached  the  Cleverton, 
that  he  thought  of  the  best  way  that  he 
could  do  it. 

He  would  write  a  note  to  Mrs.  Paxton. 
He  would  drop  that  note  into  the  mail  box 
that  hung  at  the  side  door.  The  letters  were 
always  distributed  at  four,  and  Sidney  Cum- 
ston,  who  had  a  fine  watch,  had  just  said 
that  it  was  three.  He  left  the  boys  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Merlington,  and  hurried  on 


114    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

that  he  might  have  plenty  of  time  for  his 
note. 

Mrs.  Tiverton  was  out  driving  with  a 
friend,  and  Jack  had  quite  a  hunt  before  he 
could  find  pencil  or  paper  for  his  note. 

At  last  he  found  a  blank  book,  and  with 
a  pencil  he  wrote  this  note. 

"  Deer  Mrs.  Paxton:  — 

"  Yor  litle  girl  is  tied  up  in  the  woods 
opsite  the  hermits  hut.  You  better  go  get 
her  real  quick  or  somethin  may  happen  too 
her. 

"  Yors  trooly." 

He  folded  it,  and,  in  place  of  the  envelope 
that  he  could  not  find,  he  tied  around  it  a 
bit  of  string  that  he  found  in  his  pocket. 

Boldly  he  addressed  it,  in  very  large  let- 
ters, and  sneaking  down  the  stairway,  and 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  115 

around  on  the  piazza  toward  the  side  door, 
watched  his  chance,  and  slipped  it  into  the 
mail  box. 

There  was  much  excitement  on  the  front 
piazza,  because  the  guests  had  arrived  in 
the  barge  but  a  few  moments  before,  and 
Mrs.  Paxton  had  given  a  maid  a  generous 
"  tip  "  to  go  over  to  the  Merlington,  and 
bring  Moretta  back  with  her. 

"  She  returned  with  the  party  that  came 
from  the  Merlington,  and  I  don't  wish  her 
to  remain  there.  I  want  her  to  come  right 
back  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Paxton. 

"  Very  well,  ma'am,"  the  maid  had  re- 
plied, and  with  the  coins  in  her  hand,  had 
started  off  at  once  toward  the  other  hotel. 

When  little  Jack  Tiverton  ran  around  to 
the  front  piazza,  the  maid  had  just  returned. 

"  If  you  please,  Mrs.  Paxton,  your  little 
girl  isn't  over  to  the  Merlington,  and  hasn't 


116    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

been  there,  and  a  lady  that  was  with  the 
party  that  came  home  from  the  mountain 
trip,  says  the  child  wasn't  in  their  barge  at 
all.  I  asked  her  if  she  was  sure,  and  she 
said,  she  couldn't  help  being  sure,  because 
there  wasn't  any  child  in  their  barge." 

Of  course  excitement  reigned  supreme. 
Mrs.  Paxton  seemed  half  wild,  and  every 
one  shared  her  anxiety. 

The  fact  that  Floretta  was  not  a  favorite 
made  no  difference.  No  one  liked  to  think 
of  a  little  girl  out  there  alone  on  the  moun- 
tain path,  or  in  the  woods,  especially  as  it 
was  already  late  afternoon. 

"  What  a  dreadful  thing!  "  cried  Mrs. 
Paxton,  wringing  her  hands,  and  walking 
up  and  down  the  piazza. 

"  Who  will  go  with  me?  I  cannot  go 
alone,  and  where,  where  shall  we  look  first? 
Who  saw  her  last?  " 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  ill 

At  this  moment  a  man-servant  came  out 
from  the  hall  with  a  tray  of  letters  that  he 
began  to  distribute. 

"  One  for  you,  Mrs.  Paxton,"  said  the 
man,  as  he  touched  her  arm  gently. 

"  Oh,  I  can't  think  of  letters  now,"  she 
said,  but  something  about  the  note  seemed 
so  unusual  that  she  looked  at  it. 

She  drew  off  the  string  that  had  been 
loosely  tied,  and  read  the  hastily  scrawled 
lines. 

She  screamed,  and  Aunt  Charlotte,  who 
was  standing  near  her,  put  her  arm  around 
her  and  supported  her,  or  she  would  have 
fallen. 

Many  of  those  who  gathered  around  Mrs. 
Paxton  were  inclined  to  think  the  note  a 
hoax,  but  Mrs.  Dainty,  coming  forwardl, 
lifted  her  handsome  head,  and  looking 
at  the  men  who  were  lounging  comfortably 


118    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

in  the  large  rockers,  or  sitting  upon  the 
piazza  railing,  spoke  the  word  that  spurred 
them  to  action. 

"Is  it  safe  to  guess  that  this  is  a  joke? 
True,  it  is  written  in  a  boyish  hand,  and 
while  it  may  be  a  boy's  joke,  may  it  not  be 
a  boy's  means  of  telling  us  what  has  actu- 
ally happened?  I  would  not,  were  I  a  man, 
take  the  responsibility  or  chance,  of  leaving 
Floretta  out  there,  because  I  would  go  to 
the  place,  and  thus  learn,  not  guess,  if  this 
information  be  true." 

She  had  scarcely  finished  speaking  when 
a  number  of  men  rose,  and  one,  who  chose 
to  lead  the  party,  lifted  his  hat  to  Mrs. 
Dainty,  saying: 

"  We  are  off,  madam.  We  only  needed 
an  inspiration  to  move  us  to  endeavor." 

She  bowed  and  smiled,  as  she  said: 

"  One  thing  I  ask  of  you.    Go  as  quickly 


TEE   ECHO   CAPTURED  119 

as  possible,  for  the  sake  of  the  frightened 
child,  and  the  anxious  mother." 

"  Tn  all  possible  haste/'  was  the  quick 
reply,  and  she  turned  to  offer  what  comfort 
she  might  to  the  woman  who  seemed  nearly 
distracted. 

And  all  this  time,  what  had  been  happen- 
ing in  the  wood^  For  a  long  time  Floretta 
had  cried,  screamed,  and  shouted,  hoping 
that  the  boys  would  come  back  and  release 
her. 

Then,  when  she  knew  that  they  must  be 
too  far  away  to  hear  her,  she  tore  at  the 
clasping  bonds,  trying  in  every  way  to  free 
herself.  With  feet  and  hands  she  strove 
to  loosen  the  tough,  wiry  vines,  kicking  and 
trampling  with  her  restless  feet,  beating 
and  bending  with  her  little  hands,  until 
they  were  torn  and  bleeding,  and  the  tor- 


120    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

menting  vines  seemed  only  to  hold  her  with 
a  firmer  grasp,  as  if  to  prove  how  useless 
was  her  struggle. 

She  had  cried  until  she  could  cry  no  more, 
and  the  sturdy  vines  had  cut  and  bruised 
her. 

So  firmly  was  she  bound  that  she  could 
not  sink  to  the  grass  to  rest,  and  she 
had  only  the  hard,  rocky  ledge  to  lean 
against. 

How  still  the  woodland  seemed!  Some- 
times a  twig  would  snap,  or  a  buzzing  in- 
sect would  pause,  as  if  to  look  at  her,  but 
no  one  came  to  set  her  free. 

She  waited  for  a  moment  to  regain  her 
breath,  and  then  again  she  fought  and  strug- 
gled with  those  tough,  sturdy  vines. 

She  tried  to  wrench  them  apart,  to  break, 
to  tear  them  from  her,  but  they  only  yielded 
enough  to  bend,  and  then  snap  back  into 


WITH  FEET    AND    HANDS    SHE    STROVE   TO    LOOSEN   THK   TOUGH,    WIRY 

VINES.— Page  119. 


THE   ECHO   CAPTURED  121 

the  very  place  that  she  had  pushed  them 
from. 

Not  a  vine  broke,  not  a  stem  gave  way, 
and  she  set  her  lips  tightly  for  yet  greater 
effort! 


CHAPTER  VII 

FLORETTA'S  RETURN 

AT  a  far  corner  of  the  piazza  sat  Doro- 
thy, her  eyes  terrified,  and  her  cheeks 
pale.  Nancy,  close  beside  her,  wound  her 
arms  about  her,  and  sought,  in  every  way, 
to  comfort  her. 

"  They'll  find  her  soon,  Dorothy,  so  don't 
you  be  frightened,"  she  whispered. 
"  They'll  surely  find  her  soon." 

Dear  little  Nancy  knew,  better  than  any 
of  Dorothy's  other  friends  could  have 
known,  how  ready  was  her  sympathy,  how 
kind  and  loving  was  her  heart. 

She  had  not  loved  Floretta,   but   with 

Dorothy,  that  did  not  count.     It  was  the 

122 


FLORETTA'S   RETURN  123 

dreadful  fear  that  something  had  happened 
to  a  little  girl,  who,  so  recently  had  been  at 
play  with  them,  —  ah,  that  was  what 
grieved  sweet  Dorothy. 

She  was  thinking  of  what  Mrs.  Dainty 
had  said  to  Aunt  Charlotte  when  the  moun- 
tain trip  was  first  talked  of. 

"  I  think  the  long  tramp  is  a  rougher 
form  of  amusement  than  I  can  well  endure. 
I  should  be  so  weary  long  before  it  was  time 
to  return,  that  I  should  derive  but  little 
pleasure  from  the  trip.  There  is  another 
thought  in  connection  with  the  picnic,"  she 
continued,  "  and  that  is  an  element  of  dan- 
ger. Not  great  danger  perhaps,  but  such 
that  I  would  not  join  the  party,  nor  would 
I  permit  Dorothy,  or  Nancy  to  do  so.  One 
gentleman  who  was  talking  of  the  moun- 
tain path  that  they  have  chosen,  spoke  of 
the  great  danger  to  the  climbers  from  small, 


124   DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

rolling  stones,  and  from  places  where  the 
earth  seems  to  crumble  near  the  edge  of  the 
narrow  foot-path.  A  careless  step  might 
lead  to  a  fall  that  would  mean,  I  hardly 
dare  to  say  what!  ' 

Dorothy  and  Nancy  had  been  wishing  to 
join  the  party,  but  upon  hearing  this,  they 
lost  all  interest  in  it,  and  had  cheerfully 
taken  the  drive  behind  gentle  Romeo,  in- 
stead. Now,  as  Dorothy  sat  with  Nancy's 
arms  about  her,  she  was  glad  that  they  had 
not  been  permitted  to  go,  and  she  heartily 
wished  that  Floretta  had  remained  at  the 
Cleverton. 

"  Had  she  rolled  from  the  path,  and 
fallen,  fallen,  -  " 

Dorothy  covered  her  eyes  with  her  hands, 
as  if  she  almost  saw  the  little  girl  falling, 
down,  down  to  the  ravine  so  far  below  the 
path,  and  was  trying  to  shut  out  the  picture. 


FLORETTA'S  RETURN  125 

Nancy,  still  striving  to  quiet  her  fear,  heard 
some  one  telling  what  the  scribbled  note 
had  said. 

"  Oh,  Dorothy!  "  she  whispered,  eagerly, 
"  Floretta  is  just  where  they  know  how  to 
find  her,  and  they've  promised  to  hurry, 
and  bring  her  back." 

"  Are  you  sure?  "  Dorothy  asked. 

"  Yes,  sure!  "  said  Nancy. 

Then  Nancy  climbed  into  the  big  chair 
beside  her,  and  the  two  little  girls  sat,  each 
tightly  clasping  the  other's  hands,  while 
they  waited  and  watched  for  the  first 
glimpse  of  the  men  who  should  return, 
bringing  Floretta  with  them. 

Mrs.  Dainty  and  Aunt  Charlotte  re- 
mained with  Mrs.  Paxton,  who  seemed  to 
have  lost  all  control  of  herself. 

One  moment  she  would  cry  as  if  her 
heart  would  break,  and  then  she  would 


126    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

spring  up,  threatening  to  follow  the  direc- 
tion that  the  men  had  taken,  and  try  to 
reach  the  woods,  thus  to  sooner  see  her  lit- 
tle girl. 

At  last,  after  what  seemed  endless  wait- 
ing, but  was  actually  only  an  hour,  some 
one  espied  the  men  in  the  distance,  and 
cried  out: 

"  They're  coming!    They're  coming!  ' 

"  Have  they  got  Floretta?  Oh,  'have 
they  found  her? ';  shrieked  Mrs.  Pax- 
ton. 

"  We  can't  see  from  here,"  said  the  one 
who  had  spoken,  and  the  mother  rushed 
forward,  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand, 
and  straining  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of 
her  child. 

She  would  have  rushed  down  the  road  to 
meet  them,  but  Mrs.  Dainty  held  her  back. 
She  had  seen  that  they  were  carrying  Flor- 


FLORETTA'S  RETURN  127 

etta,  and  she  thought,  in  case  the  child  were 
injured,  the  mother  would  far  better  save 
her  strength. 

Two  of  the  men  had  clasped  their  hands 
to  form  an  "  arm-chair,"  and  thus  they 
brought  to  the  piazza,  a  very  limp,  tired 
Floretta,  whose  vivacity  was  all  gone,  and 
whose  face  bore  the  trace  of  desperate 
weeping,  while  her  arms  and  hands  were 
covered  with  cuts  and  bruises,  and  her 
little  frock  was  torn  and  tattered  by  her 
struggle  with  the  tough  and  tightly  knotted 
vines. 

She  lay  back  against  the  shoulder  of  one 
man  who  supported  her,  and  looked  as  if 
her  strength  were  spent. 

She  changed  on  the  instant  that  they  set 
her  on  her  feet. 

Rushing  to  her  mother,  she  permitted  her 
to  clasp  her  for  a  moment  to  her  breast,  then 


128    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

turning  to  the  group  that  gathered  around 
her,  she  cried  fiercely: 

"Look!  See  my  hands!  See  my  arms! 
See  the  scratches,  where  I  tried  to  get 
away,  and  it  was  Sidney  Cumston  who 
tied  me!  He  did  it,  but  the  other  boys 
let  him.  Not  one  tried  to  hinder  him  except 
Jack  Tiverton,  the  littlest  one  of  them  all. 
He  tried  to  make  them  let  me  go,  but  they 
wouldn't.  Oh,  somebody  punish  all  but 
Jack!  He  tried,  but  he  couldn't  help  me." 

She  was  hysterical,  and  sank  to  the  floor 
of  the  piazza,  sobbing,  and  crying,  before 
her  mother  could  catch  her. 

She  scrambled  to  her  feet,  and  was 
clasped  in  her  mother's  arms. 

Old  Mr.  Cunningham  surprised  every  one 
by  speaking  most  kindly  to  her.  She  had 
so  often  tormented  him  that  it  seemed  gen- 
erous that  he  should  offer  a  bit  of  comfort. 


FLORET T A' S  RETURN  129 

"  I  don't  think  we  shall  let  those  young 
rascals  escape  without  a  sharp  reprimand, 
and  if  I  was  to  venture  a  guess  about  it,  I 
should  say  that  little  Jack,  after  all,  man- 
aged to  help  you,  Floretta,"  he  said. 

She  turned  in  surprise  to  look  at  the  old 
face,  that  now  looked  so  kindly  at  her. 

"  Come  out  here,  Jack,"  said  the  old  gen- 
tleman, "  didn't  you  write  the  note  that 
sent  us  searching  for  this  little  girl?  ' 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Jack,  "  and  I  wrote  it 
'cause  I  thought  the  other  big  fellows  were 
mean,  but  if  they  find  out  I  told,  they'll  —  ' 

"  No,  they  won't,"  said  Mr.  Cunningham. 
"  You're  no  '  tell-tale.'  You  did  just  right, 
and  the  men  here  will  stand  by  you.  Those 
big  boys  were  the  cowards  to  torment  a  little 
girl.  You're  the  best  boy  up  here  in  the 
mountains." 

"  Three   cheers   for   young   Tiverton! " 


130    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

shouted  some  one,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
excitement,  Mrs.  Paxton,  with  her  little 
daughter,  slipped  away  to  their  room,  after 
having  thanked  little  Jack  for  his  valuable 
assistance. 

Meanwhile  old  Mr.  Cunningham  had  been 
searching  in  this  pocket  and  that  for  some- 
thing which  he  seemed  most  anxious  to 
find. 

"Ah,  I  knew  I  had  it!  Come  here, 
Jack!  " 

Blushing  and  diffident,  Jack  walked  over 
to  the  big  rocker. 

"  Tisn't  much,  boy,  but  I  think  you 
ought  to  have  a  medal.  Here's  a  silver  dol- 
lar I've  been  keeping  for  a  pocket  piece. 
I'll  give  it  to  you  for  a  medal,  for  being 
brave  enough  to  tell  what  you  knew  ought 
to  be  told.  That's  not  tale-bearing,  and  as 
you  were  afraid  to  tell,  for  fear  of  those  big 


FLOEETTA'S  RETURN  131 

bullies,  it  was  a  brave  act.  You're  a  lad 
that  knows  what  to  do,  when  to  do,  and  then 
does  it!  ' 

"  Hurrah  for  Jack  Tiverton!  "  some  one 
cried  again,  and  this  time  they  were  given 
with  a  will. 

Mrs.  Tiverton,  returning  from  a  long 
drive,  wondered  what  all  the  excitement 
meant,  and  why  they  were  cheering  her 
little  son. 

Jack,  with  his  silver  dollar  tightly 
clasped,  hung  his  head,  and  looked  as  if 
overpowered  by  his  conspicuous  position. 

Dorothy,  now  bright  and  happy,  since 
Floretta  was  safe,  saw  that  Jack  hesitated. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Tiverton,"  she  said,  "  Jack 
has  been  truly  the  best  boy  in  the  world, 
but  he  can't  speak  just  now.  When  he  tells 
you  what  he's  done,  you  won't  wonder  why 
they  cheered  him!  " 


132    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Mrs.  Barnet  and  Flossie,  with  Uncle 
Harry  and  his  wife,  now  arrived  in  their 
big  automobile  from  a  three-days'  trip  that 
they  had  been  enjoying. 

Of  course  Dorothy  and  Nancy  tried  to 
tell  Flossie  all  about  Floretta  and  Jack,  and 
they  were  both  so  excited  that  Flossie  got 
a  very  twisted  idea  of  the  affair. 

Uncle  Harry,  not  dreaming  that  the  mat- 
ter was  at  all  serious,  turned,  after  greeting 
the  children,  to  enter  the  house. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Harry!  "  cried  Flossie,  "  you 
ought  to  hear  about  it.  There  were  ever 
so  many  big  boys,  and  only  one  little  girl, 
and  they  tied  her  so  she  couldn't  get  away, 
and  Jack  wrote  a  note,  and  when  they 
found  her,  —  " 

"  Now,  Flossie,  dear,  I'm  perfectly  will- 
ing to  be  scared  half  out  of  my  wits,  but  I 
must  know  what  I'm  being  scared  about. 


FLORETTA'S  RETURN  133 

You're  getting  me  so  mixed  up  that  I've 
not  the  least  idea  what  this  is  all  about. 
Have  you?  "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Flossie,  "  I  don't  half  un- 
derstand it,  but  it  does  sound  so  frightful, 
that  I'm  so  scared,  I  need  to  have  you  be 
scared,  too." 

"  Well,  then,"  Uncle  Harry  replied,  "  if 
it  will  help  you  to  know  it,  I'll  admit  that 
my  teeth  are  chattering,  and  shivers  are 
running  up  and  down  my  spine! 

"  I  thought  at  first  that  it  was  the  draft 
across  this  piazza,  but  perhaps,  after  all,  it 
was  caused  by  what  you  were  telling  me." 

When,  at  last,  he  had  heard  the  story,  he 
was  full  of  disgust  that  any  boy,  and  his 
friends,  should  have  been  guilty  of  such  a 
contemptible  act,  and  his  sympathy  for  the 
little  girl  was  deep  and  sincere. 

"  She  will  need  rest  and  quiet  to-mor- 


134    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

row,"  he  said,  "  and  you  three  little  friends 
will  be  kind,  I  think,  if  you  stay  rather 
closely  here,  and  help,  in  some  quiet  way, 
to  amuse  her." 

"  We  will,"  said  Dorothy,  "  I'll  let  her 
read  my  new  fairy  book  if  she'd  like  to. 
She  could  lie  in  the  hammock,  and  do  that." 

"I'll  keep  the  hammock  swinging,"  said 
Nancy. 

"  And  I'll  give  her  my  new  box  of  candy 
I  just  brought  home,"  said  Flossie. 

"  That's  right,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  "  and 
for  your  sweet  promises  of  kindness  toward 
the  child  who  has  suffered  so  much  to-day 
I'll  remind  you  that  on  day  after  to-morrow 
I  shall  give  myself  the  pleasure  of  taking 
you  all  to  the  fair.  I  promise  you  a  fine 
time." 

He  turned  to  look  over  his  shoulder,  and 
laugh  at  their  wild  little  cries  of  delight. 


FLORET! A' S   RETURN  135 

He  was  anticipating  the  pleasure  quite  as 
much  as  they. 

Dorothy,  Nancy,  and  Flossie  kept  the 
promise  that  they  had  made,  and  Moretta 
fully  enjoyed  their  kindness.  She  seemed 
unusually  gentle,  and  Mrs.  Paxton  thanked 
them  for  so  sweetly  helping  to  amuse  her, 
and  thus  make  her  willing  to  spend  the  day 
quietly. 

The  day  set  for  the  visit  to  the  village 
fair  dawned  bright  and  sunny,  a  light  breeze 
making  it  just  cool  enough  to  be  delightful. 

The  barge  was  waiting  for  its  gay  little 
passengers. 

The  children  stood  with  impatient  feet  on 
the  piazza,  waiting  for  their  host,  merry, 
handsome  Uncle  Harry. 

At  last  a  firm  tread  caused  them  to  turn, 
and  there  he  was,  looking  gayer  than  ever, 


136    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

a  picture  of  health,  strength,  and  kindli- 
ness, and  clad  in  a  most  becoming  outing 
suit  of  light  gray  serge. 

The  blue  of  his  tie  was  not  bluer  than  his 
fine  eyes,  and  no  one  could  have  glanced  at 
him  without  knowing  that  he  possessed  a 
generous,  loving  nature,  a  kind  and  merry 
heart. 

"  Come,  little  friends!  "  he  cried.  "  Is 
every  young  lady  that  I  invited  here?  "  he 
added,  looking  anxiously  lest  some  child  be 
late,  and  thus  by  chance,  be  left  behind. 

"  Every  one  is  here!  "  said  Flossie.  "  I 
know  because  I've  counted." 

"  Then  we'll  start  at  once,  unless  some 
one  would  rather  wait  'til  to-morrow?  "  he 
said,  his  eyes  twinkling. 

"  Oh,  no!  No!  "  they  cried.  "  We  just 
couldn't  wait!  " 

"  In  that  case  we'll  go  now!  "  he  said, 


FLORETTA'S   RETURN  137 

with  a  droll  expression,  as  if  he  started  at 
once,  merely  as  an  accommodation. 

"  Why,  Uncle  Harry!  You're  only  jo- 
king," cried  Flossie.  "  You  wouldn't  be 
willing  to  wait  until  to-morrow.  I  heard 
you  tell  Aunt  Vera  to  hurry  and  find  your 
tie,  because  you  were  in  such  a  rush  to 
start!  " 

"  To  think  that  my  own  little  niece  would 
tell  tales  like  that,  and  thus  let  out  the 
secret.  What  chance  have  I  now,  of  ma- 
king them  think  that  I  was  really  very  shy 
about  riding  with  such  a  large  party  of 
girls?  " 

Shouts  of  laughter  greeted  this  speech, 
and  Uncle  Harry  waited  until  it  had  sub- 
sided, then  he  said: 

"  Oh,  well,  if  no  one  believes  that  I  am 
shy  or  diffident,  it's  waste  of  time  to  try  to 
appear  so,  so  I  shall  not  try.  Instead,  I 


138    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 
shall  be  very  bold.    Come,  dears,  let  me  help 
you  in!  ': 

And  amid  shouts  of  laughter  from  the 
children,  he  lifted  each  high  in  air,  and 
placed  her  in  the  barge,  thus  saving  her  the 
trouble  of  mounting  the  steps. 

Then  taking  his  seat  in  the  middle  of  the 
laughing,  chattering  little  party,  he  called 
to  the  driver  to  start. 

The  long  whip  cracked,  Jack  Tiverton, 
from  the  piazza,  blew  loudly  on  a  tin 
trumpet,  and  they  were  off  over  the  road, 
the  happiest  party  that  ever  filled  a  barge. 

Uncle  Harry  told  some  amusing  stories, 
then,  led  by  his  fine  voice,  they  sang  some 
gay  little  songs,  and  before  they  dreamed 
that  they  had  arrived  at  the  fair,  the  driver 
shouted: 

"  Here  we  are!  "  and  sure  enough,  they 
had  reached  the  fair  grounds. 


FLORET T A' S   RETURN  139 

"  Why,  I  didn't  suppose  we  were  more 
than  half-way  here,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and 
the  reason  is  that  the  ride  has  been  so 
jolly." 

"  That's  just  it,"  agreed  Nancy. 

"  The  reason  I  enjoyed  the  ride,"  said 
Uncle  Harry,  "  is  because  I  was  so  charmed 
with  my  little  guests. ' ' 

"  And  the  reason  why  we  had  such  a  fine 
ride,"  said  Flossie,  "  is  because  we  had  the 
best  man  in  the  world  taking  care  of  us." 

Uncle  Harry  bowed  low. 

"  This  must  be  a  wedding  party,  if  I'm 
the  '  best  man,'  '  he  said  with  a  laugh,  "  so 
we'll  not  fuss  because  there's  no  musician 
to  play  a  march  for  us,  but  we'll  play  you 
are  all  bridesmaids,  and  we'll  hurry  right 
along.  The  entrance  is  this  way,  I  think, 
and  under  that  evergreen  arch." 

A  large  tent  had  been  pitched  for  the  dis- 


140    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

play  of  the  various  wares  and  numerous 
attractions;  a  smaller  tent  near  it  serving 
as  fortune  teller's  booth. 

"  We'll  coax  Uncle  Harry  to  have  his 
fortune  told,"  whispered  Flossie  to  Doro- 
thy, when,  to  their  great  surprise,  he  said: 

"  Oh,  Flossie,  you  little  witch!  Uncle 
Harry  heard  what  you  said,  and  not  only 
is  he  going  to  have  his  fortune  told,  but  he's 
going  to  make  every  one  of  you  little  girls 
have  yours  told,  also!  " 


CHAPTER 

AT  THE  FAIR 

fair  proved  a  great  delight  to  the 
children.  They  had  all  been  to  fine 
fairs  patronized  by  fashionable  matrons, 
whose  names  were  quite  enough  to  insure 
success,  but  the  country  fair  was  an  abso- 
lute novelty. 

At  the  large  city  fairs,  merry  debutantes 
graced  the  booths,  and  sold  flowers,  or  tick- 
ets for  the  various  games  of  chance. 

Here  in  the  mountain  village  all  was  dif- 
ferent, and  the  novelty  gave  greater  inter- 
est. 

Farmers'  daughters  were  in  the  booths, 
and  sold  huge  bouquets  of  old-fashioned 
garden  flowers,  homemade  candy,  and 

141 


142    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

honey,  while  one  rosy-cheeked  lass  dis- 
pensed sweet  cider,  or  sweet  apples,  ac- 
cording to  the  preference  of  her  cus- 
tomer. 

Uncle  Harry  purchased  a  huge  stalk  of 
hollyhocks  for  each  of  his  guests,  but  for 
himself  he  chose  an  enormous  sunflower 
which  he  insisted  looked  fine  in  his  button- 
hole. 

There  was  music,  if  it  could  be  called 
music,  furnished  by  the  local  band. 

Uncle  Harry  said  he  had  never  seen 
such  independent  people  as  those  musicians 
were.  He  declared  that  the  music  sounded, 
to  him,  as  if  each  man  commenced  to  play 
when  he  chose,  and  stopped  when  he  got 
ready,  regardless  of  what  the  other  players 
were  doing. 

"  Oh,  I  do  believe  that  is  the  way  they 
play!  "  cried  Dorothy,  laughing. 


AT   THE  FAIR  143 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  cried  Uncle  Harry, 
"  and  a  great  deal  of  bother  it  saves,  for  no 
one  has  to  direct  them;  they  do  not  know 
that  they  are  making  discord,  and  thus  they 
play  and  play  with  all  their  might,  and  are 
absolutely  care-free  and  happy." 

There  were  heaps  of  giant  pumpkins, 
and  more  red  and  yellow  ears  of  corn  than 
they  had  ever  seen  before,  while  every- 
where was  laughter,  and  friendly  gossip, 
and  chatter,  that  made  the  fair  a  jolly  place 
in  which  to  roam  about. 

The  children  were  determined  to  see 
every  object  in  the  big  tent,  and  while  some 
were  interested  in  one  thing,  others  wished 
to  see  something  else,  so  they  decided  to 
divide  into  two  groups. 

One  half  of  the  little  party  turned  to  the 
right  intent  upon  seeing  some  gaudy  patch- 
work quilts,  while  the  others  turned  to  the 


144    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

left  declaring  their  intention  of  investing 
all  their  pennies  in  the  "  fish-pond." 

There  were  so  many  things  to  see  on  the 
way,  that  it  was  a  long  time  before  they 
met,  as  they  had  agreed,  at  the  entrance. 

Somewhere  on  the  way  they  had  missed 
Uncle  Harry,  and  they  could  not  imagine 
where  he  had  gone. 

It  happened  that  Uncle  Harry  had  seen  a 
very  small  girl  crying,  and  his  first  thought 
was  to  help  her,  and  thus  dry  her  tears. 

Upon  questioning  her,  he  found  that  the 
wee  little  maid  had,  by  accident,  knocked 
a  small  doll  from  one  of  the  tables,  and  had 
been  roundly  scolded. 

"  That  pretty  girl  with  the  black  eyes 
says  I  did  it  a-purpose,  but  I  didn't," 
she  cried,  "  I  wanted  to  see  it,  and 
I  just  touched  it,  and  it  tumbled  off  the 
table." 


AT   THE  FAIR  145 

Her  tears  fell  afresh,  and  in  place  of  a 
handkerchief,  she  drew  up  her  blue-checked 
apron,  and  hid  her  face  in  it. 

"  Look  up,  little  girl,"  Uncle  Harry  said, 
and  his  voice  sounded  so  kindly,  that  she  at 
once  peeped  at  him  through  her  tears. 

"  Which  is  the  table  where  all  this  hap- 
pened? " 

"  That  one,"  said  the  child,  "  and  the  big 
girl  is  looking  at  me  now." 

"  Then  give  me  your  hand,  and,  just  for 
fun,  we'll  go  and  look  at  her." 

A  moment  she  hesitated. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  and  with  a  sunny  smile, 
the  little  girl  placed  her  hand  in  his,  and 
the  big,  handsome  man  with  the  wee  coun- 
try lass  approached  the  table  together. 

"Ill  lift  you  up  so  you  can  see  nicely," 
he  said.  "  Now,  which  was  the  doll  that  fell 
from  the  table?" 


146    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Before  the  child  could  reply,  the  girl 
spoke  sharply. 

"  'Twas  that  one,  sir,  and  her  meddle- 
some fingers,  - 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  said  Uncle 
Harry,  then  turning  to  the  child  he  said: 

"  Did  you  like  that  one  best,  or  is  that 
larger  one  finer?  ': 

"  That  large  one  is  the  loveliest.  I  didn't 
ever  see  one  so  fine  as  that." 

"  We'll  have  that  one,  then,"  he  said, 
offering  a  bill  to  the  astonished  salesgirl. 

"  There,  little  girl,  she's  yours,"  he  said, 
as  he  placed  the  big  doll  in  her  arms. 

"I  can  hold  her  a  little  while?"  she 
asked,  eagerly. 

'  You  can  hold  her  always,  if  you  want 
to,"  he  said  gently,  "  I  bought  her  for  you." 

Rapturously  she  clasped  the  gift  in  her 
arms. 


AT   THE   FAIR  147 

"  Oh,  I  love  you,  because  you  are  good," 
she  cried. 

"  Then  tell  me  your  name,"  he  said. 

"  I'rh  Lois  Ann  Ferguson,"  chirped  the 
little  girl,  "  and  father  is  Sandy  Ferguson. 
Oh,  there  he  is  now.  He's  to  play  the 
pipes." 

She  ran  toward  a  sturdy  man  dressed  in 
Highland  costume,  and  carrying  the  bag- 
pipes under  his  arm. 

Mr.  Ferguson  glanced  at  her  flushed 
cheeks,  saw  the  gorgeous  doll  that  she  flour- 
ished before  his  astonished  eyes,  and  finally 
understood  that  the  tall,  handsome  stranger 
had  bestowed  it  upon  his  wee  daughter,  as 
a  gift. 

He  took  her  little  hand,  and  hurried  for- 
ward, saying: 

"  I  dinna  ken  why  he  should  dae  it  for 
my  wee  lassie. 


148    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  I  wad  gladly  thank  ye,  sir,"  he  said, 
"  but  I'm  lost  in  wonder  that  ye  made  wee 
Lois  sae  blithe  an'  gay  wi'  the  braw 
gift" 

"  She's  a  dear  little  lass,"  said  Uncle 
Harry,  "  and  when  I  found  her  crying,  I 
knew  that  a  fine  new  doll  would  dry  her 
tears.  Don't  bother  to  thank  me.  I  made 
myself  happy,  when  I  comforted  her." 

"  I  wish  there  were  mair  like  ye,"  said 
Sandy  Ferguson,  "  an'  some  day  when  ye 're 
older,  an'  ha'  a  wee  daughter  of  yer  ain,  - 

"  I  have  a  wife  and  baby  girl  now,"  was 
the  quick  reply,  "  and  they  are  my  dearest 
possessions." 

"  An'  I  thought  ye  a  braw,  bonny  laddie, 
wi'  yer  fair  hair  an'  blue  een!  Weel,  weel, 
ye  dinna  hae  tae  live  'til  ye 're  auld  before 
ye  ken  tae  dae  a  kindly  act,"  Sandy  Fer- 
guson replied,  "  an'  later  when  I  play  the 


AT   THE   FAIR  149 

pipes,  an'  Lois  dances,  she  shall  make  her 
first  bow  tae  her  new  friend." 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Harry,  did  you  buy  the  new 
doll  for  the  little  girl?  " 

It  was  little  Flossie,  who,  after  having 
searched  every  corner  of  the  tent,  had  found 
him  talking  to  the  Scotchman  and  his  little 
girl. 

"  Is  he  your  own  uncle?'  little  Lois 
asked,  looking  up  into  Flossie's  lovely  face. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Flossie,  "  and  he's  the 
best  uncle  in  the  world." 

"  I  know  he  must  be,"  said  the  little  girl. 
"  See  how  good  he  was  to  me." 

They  turned  to  join  the  rest  of  their  party, 
and  little  Lois  looked  over  her  shoulder, 
with  one  hand  held  fast  in  her  father's, 
while  with  the  other  she  tightly  clasped  the 
precious  doll. 

"  I  saw  the  notice  near  the  entrance  when 


150    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

we  came  in,  that  a  Scotch  farmer  would 
play,  and  his  little  daughter  would  dance," 
said  Uncle  Harry,  "  but  that  child  is  not 
much  more  than  a  baby.  She  cannot  be 
more  than  four.  It  will  be  amusing  to  see 
her  dance,  and  Nancy  Ferris  will  enjoy  it 
most  of  all." 

They  found  the  others  reading  the  notice 
of  which  they  had  been  talking,  and  they 
were  delighted  when  they  heard  what  a 
very  little  girl  it  was  who  was  to  dance. 

They  had  a  lunch  served  by  girls  dressed 
as  dairy  maids,  and  it  was  just  such  a  lunch 
as  might  have  been  enjoyed  at  a  farmhouse. 

The  long  table  spread  with  its  white 
cloth,  and  set  with  blue  and  white  dishes, 
was  decorated  by  a  garland  of  small  sun- 
flowers that  lay  upon  the  cloth,  down 
the  centre,  and  the  entire  length  of  the 
table. 


AT   THE   FAIR  151 

There  were  plates  heaped  with  biscuit, 
there  were  dishes  of  both  wild  and  culti- 
vated strawberries,  and  delicious  cream  to 
be  eaten  with  them,  there  were  ^sandwiches 
and  little  cakes,  honey  enough  to  tempt  the 
bees  to  the  feast,  and  the  children  thought 
it  finer  than  a  hotel  dinner.  How  they 
laughed,  and  chattered,  as  they  enjoyed  the 
spread ! 

Uncle  Harry  was  in  his  sunniest  mood, 
and  told  stories  and  jokes  that  kept  them 
amused,  and  seemed  to  be  the  gayest  mem- 
ber of  the  party. 

"  Tell  us  a  story  about  when  you  were  a 
little  boy,"  said  Flossie. 

"  My  small  niece  thinks  I'm  nothing  but 
a  big  boy  now!  "  he  said. 

"  Well,  the  big  Scotchman  thought  you 
were  only  a  lad.  I  heard  him  say  so,"  said 
Flossie. 


152    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  When  you  were  a  boy  were  you  ever 
naughty,  real  naughty?  "  Floretta  asked. 

She  had  been  very  quiet,  and  all  were 
surprised  at  her  question. 

"  Once  upon  a  time,  when  I  was  little," 
said  Uncle  Harry,  "  I  was  very,  very  fond 
of  good  things,  but  the  one  thing  that  I 
liked  better  than  anything  else  was  straw- 
berry jam. 

"  I  was  always  allowed  to  have  it,  but  I 
felt  sure  that  it  would  taste  even  nicer  if 
I  had  more  of  it  at  a  time,  and  still  finer  if 
I  could  have  a  long  handled  spoon,  and  eat 
it  right  from  the  jar. 

"  I  used  often  to  think  how  fine  it  would 
be  if  I,  some  day,  could  have  the  chance  to 
eat  it  that  way,  but  I  never  could  get  even 
very  near  the  jar. 

'l  One  day  the  opportunity  came.  My 
sister  and  I  were  in  the  nursery,  and  the 


AT   THE   FAIR  153 

maid  had  been  down-stairs  for  a  long 
time. 

"  The  rest  of  the  family  were  away,  and 
we  were  to  have  our  tea  in  the  nursery,  as 
usual,  only,  as  we  had  had  to  remain  at 
home,  we  were  to  have  an  extra  treat. 

"  Among  other  good  things,  we  were  to 
have  strawberry  jam. 

"  My  sister,  that  is  Flossie's  mamma, 
was  a  little  older  than  I,  and  she  was  al- 
ways trying  to  give  me  lessons  in  good 
behavior. 

"  *  Now,  Harry,'  she  said,  l  while  nurse 
is  down-stairs,  we  might  commence  to  set 
our  table/ 

"  '  There  isn't  anything  here  to  set  it 
with  but  the  tablecloth  and  the  jam/  I  said, 
*  but  you're  a  girl,  so  you  know  how  to  put 
the  cloth  on,  and  I'll  bring  the  jam.'  " 

"  I  guess  Uncle  Harry  was  so  fond  of  the 


154    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

jam,  that  lie  liked  even  to  carry  the  jar," 
said  Flossie. 

"  We  wondered  why  the  nurse  stayed  so 
long  down-stairs,"  continued  Uncle  Harry, 
"  and  I  told  my  sister  that  I  was  tired  of 
waiting  for  tea,  and  I  said  I'd  taste  of  the 
jam,  if  only  I  had  a  long  handled  spoon. 

" i  Why,  Harry,  she  answered  in  dis- 
gust, 1 1  wouldn't  think  you'd  be  so 
naughty,  but,— if  you  really  want  to  taste 
it,  here's  the  spoon  beside  the  jar.' 

"  And  did  you?  "  questioned  Dorothy. 

"  Well,  yes,  I  have  to  admit  that  I  did. 
In  truth,  I  tasted  and  tasted  until  my  sister 
cried: 

"  '  Why,  Harry,  you  naughty  boy!  When 
you  get  done  tasting,  there  won't  be  any 
left!  ' 

'  You  won't  care,  because  you  wouldn't 
be  so  naughty  as  to  taste  it!  '  I  said. 


AT   THE   FAIR  155 

"  '  Oh,  wouldn't  I?  '  she  cried.  '  Well, 
you  just  let  me  take  that  spoon,  and  you'll 
see!  ' 

"  Well,  a  funny  mix-up  followed,  in  which 
we  each  tried  to  get  possession  of  the  spoon 
and  the  jam.  We  were  laughing  while  we 
struggled  for  it,  but  at  last,  one  of  us 
slipped,  and  fell,  dragging  the  other  down; 
the  jar  of  jam  tipped  over,  and  her  white 
frock,  my  gray  jacket  and  trousers,  and 
even  my  long,  yellow  curls  became  smeared 
with  the  jam. 

"  Nurse  opened  the  door,  and  screamed 
with  terror,  for  the  red  jam  looked  as  if 
we  had  been  terribly  hurt,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  we  could  convince  her  that  we 
were  not  cut  or  bruised,  but  only  very 
sticky! 

11  Then  came  the  scolding,  and  my  sister 
tried  to  screen  me. 


156    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  l  Harry  couldn't  help  tasting  it,  he's 
so  fond  of  jam,'  she  said. 

"  l  Well,  he's  got  a  good  share  of  it,  in- 
side and  out,'  said  nurse,  grimly. 

"  '  She's  got  as  much  as  I  have,'  I  said, 
1  just  look  at  her  frock!  ' 

"  Of  course  our  clothes  were  changed, 
and  the  jam  cleaned  from  the  polished  floor, 
but  we  had  our  tea  without  jam. 

"  Nurse  said  we  could  eat  our  biscuits 
with  the  memory  of  the  jam  we  had  already 
enjoyed." 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Harry,"  cried  Flossie,  "  I 
wish,  even  though  you  were  naughty,  she'd 
let  you  have  more  jam.  She  didn't  know 
how  good  you'd  be  when  you  grew  up." 

"  I  still  am  fond  of  jam!  "  he  said,  and 
the  children  laughed  to  see  him  pour  honey 
over  his  berries  that  already  were  covered 
with  sugar. 


AT   THE   FAIR  157 

"  You  like  anything  that's  sweet!  "  said 
Dorothy,  "  whether  it's  jam,  or  sugar,  or 
honey,—  " 

"  Or  little  girls,"  said  Uncle  Harry. 
"  You  notice,  I  made  this  party  all  little 
girls,  and  I'm  having  a  lovely  time." 

"  So  are  we,"  laughed  Dorothy. 

"  And  he  says  '  lovely  '  just  as  we  do," 
said  Nancy,  "  he  does  it  to  make  us  laugh." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  laugh? '  said 
Uncle  Harry,  and  they  did  laugh,  every 
member  of  the  party,  and  laughed  because 
they  could  not  help  it. 

And  when  the  merry  feast  was  over,  they 
hastened  to  the  small  tent  where  the  old 
gypsy  was  telling  fortunes. 

Each  had  intended  to  have  her  fortune 
told,  and  thus  learn  what  the  future  held 
for  her. 

To  their  great  surprise,  she  flatly  refused 


158    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

to  tell  any  child's  fortune,  saying  that  she 
would  only  foretell  events  for  "  grown 
ups."  The  little  girls  were  rather  afraid 
of  her,  but  Uncle  Harry  boldly  offered  his 
hand,  saying: 

"  Am  I  big  enough  to  hear  my  fortune?  ' 

"  No  nonsense,  young  lad,"  she  said, 
while  the  children  dared  not  laugh.  She 
bent  over  his  palm  for  a  moment,  then  she 
solemnly  said: 

"  You're  a  brave  lad,  and  you  need  to 
be  for  you  will  fall  in  love  with  a  girl  who'll 
have  red  hair,  and  the  temper  that  usually 
goes  with  it." 

"  0  dear!  "  sighed  Uncle  Harry. 

"  Don't  worry,  young  man,"  said  the  old 
gypsy,  "  because  it  will  be  some  months 
before  you  marry." 

"  Indeed,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  "  and  what 
shall  I  do  if  the  girl  proves  to  have  the  tern- 


AT   THE  FAIR  159 

per  you  prophesy?  Shall  I  try  to  calm  her 
by  holding  her  under  a  pump,  or  would  you 
advise  tying  her  until  she  feels  less  fiery?  ' 

"  Young  man,  this  is  no  laughing  mat- 
ter," was  the  sharp  reply. 

"  Guess  it  isn't!  '  said  Uncle  Harry. 
"I've  seldom  been  so  discouraged.  Here 
am  I,  a  man  who  has  a  lovely  wife  and  baby 
girl,  and  yet  I've  got  to  marry  a  red-haired 
girl,  with  a  temper  like  chain  lightning! 
Who  was  ever  in  a  worse  fix?  ' 

The  old  gypsy  flew  into  a  rage.  "  You're 
poking  fun  at  me!  "  she  cried. 

"  There!  There!  The  fun  was  worth 
that!  "  he  cried,  laying  a  handful  of  small 
coins  on  the  table  before  her. 

In  her  eagerness  to  count  the  money,  she 
forgot  her  wrath,  and  they  hastened  from 
the  tent,  where,  safely  outside,  they  were 
free  to  laugh  as  much  as  they  chose. 


160    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

As  they  re-entered  the  large  tent,  they 
saw  that  near  the  centre,  a  space  had  been 
cleared,  and  there  was  a  crowd  of  people 
waiting,  as  if  expecting  some  attraction  to 
be  exhibited. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  almost 
immediately  the  Scotch  piper  appeared, 
and  tightly  clasping  her  precious  new  doll 
in  her  arms  was  wee  Lois,  dressed  in  High- 
land costume. 

Placing  her  doll  on  a  table,  and  making 
sure  that  it  was  safe,  she  ran  forward,  cour- 
tesied  first  to  Uncle  Harry,  as  she  had 
promised,  and  then,  to  the  music  of  the 
pipes,  the  wee  lassie  did  the  "  Highland 
Fling." 

She  was  such  a  round,  dimpled  little  girl, 
one  would  never  have  dreamed  that  she 
could  dance  with  such  infantile  grace. 

And  when  she  had  finished,  with  another 


AT   THE  FAIR  161 

courtesy,  they  crowded  around  her,  and  it 
was  Nancy  who  most  generously  praised 
her.  Dear  little  Nancy,  who  danced  like  a 
fairy,  never  had  a  jealous  thought  in  her 
loving  heart! 

It  was  Uncle  Harry  who  caught  little 
Lois,  and  lifted  her  so  that  he  could  look 
into  her  eyes. 

"  I  want  my  dolly,  now,"  she  cried,  anx- 
ious lest  it  be  lost  or  stolen.  Dorothy 
brought  the  doll,  and  the  child  clasped  it 
to  her  breast. 

"  My  wee  lassie  said  she  wisht  she  had  a 
gift  tae  gi'  ye,"  said  Sandy. 

"  I  have  a  dear  little  girl  of  my  own,  and 
I  prize  her  baby  kisses,"  said  Uncle  Harry. 
"  Will  you  give  me  one,  little  Lois?  >: 

She  clasped  her  arms  around  his  neck, 
and  kissed  him  softly. 

"  Best  man  next  to  father,"  she  said. 


CHAPTER   IX 

FLOSSIE'S  LETTER 

children  said  "  good-by  "  to  little 
-•"  Lois,  and  as  her  father  carried  her 
away,  she  waved  her  hand  to  them. 

"  Wasn't  she  cunning?  "  said  Dorothy. 

"  She  was  very  sweet,"  said  Nancy, 
"  and  how  well  she  did  her  little 
dance! >: 

"  She  didn't  dance  half  as  fine  as  you  do, 
Nancy  Ferris,"  said  Floretta.  "  You  know 
that." 

"  Oh,  but  I  was  trained  for  dancing," 
said  Nancy,  "  and,  beside,  she  was  very  lit- 
tle to  dance  so  cleverly." 

Floretta  made  no  reply,  but  she  thought 
of  what  Nancy  had  said. 

162 


FLOSSIE'S  LETTER  163 

"  Trained  for  dancing.  She  said  she  was 
trained  to  dance.  I  wonder  where?  I 
wish  I  knew,  but  I  didn't  quite  dare  to 
ask  her." 

Once  more  they  walked  around  the  big 
tent,  and  Uncle  Harry  purchased  a  gift  for 
each  to  carry  home  as  a  souvenir. 

There  were  little  baskets  that  the  gyp- 
sies had  woven,  and  fancy  boxes  filled  with 
woodland  plants.  The  boxes  were  made 
from  birch  bark,  and  were  very  dainty. 

These  the  children  prized,  and  lovingly 
they  thanked  him  for  the  pretty  gifts. 

At  the  candy  table  he  purchased  enough 
of  the  homemade  bonbons  to  fill  the  bas- 
kets, and  then  they  left  the  tent  to  start 
on  the  homeward  trip. 

The  barge  was  waiting  for  them,  and 
they  clambered  in,  tired,  but  very  happy. 

"  This  is  the  nicest  fair  I  ever  went  to," 


164    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

said  Dorothy,  "  and  I've  had  so  many  good 
things  that  I'm  going  to  save  my  basket  of 
candy  until  to-morrow." 

"  So  am  I,"  cried  all  the  others. 

"  And  so  am  7,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  as  he 
held  up  a  huge  basket  filled  with  all  kinds 
of  candy. 

How  they  laughed,  and  accused  him  of 
having  a  "  sweet-tooth." 

"  Now,  just  a  moment!  "  he  cried,  as  he 
held  up  his  finger  for  silence,  "I'm  taking 
this  big  basket  home  to  treat  the  big  ladies 
with.  I  took  the  little  ladies  with  me,  but 
I've  not  forgotten  the  big  ladies  that  I  left 
at  the  hotel." 

"  Because  you  don't  ever  forget  any 
one,"  said  Flossie,  and  the  others  cried: 

"  That's  it!  Just  it!  He  does  nice  things 
for  every  one." 

"  Oh,    spare   my   blushes,"    said   Uncle 


FLOSSIE'S   LETTER  165 

Harry,  but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  their 
affection  for  him  pleased  him. 

The  ride  home  seemed  shorter  than  the 
trip  to  the  fair. 

They  joined  in  singing  the  merry  songs 
that  his  fine  voice  led,  and  the  horses,  know- 
ing that  they  were  on  the  homeward  trip, 
jogged  along  at  a  better  pace  than  when 
they  had  started  out. 

Uncle  Harry  had  found  some  bells,  and 
fastened  them  to  their  harnesses,  and  they 
made  a  jingling  accompaniment  to  the 
merry  voices. 

And  when  the  barge  drew  up  at  the  Clev- 
erton,  Uncle  Harry,  with  elaborate  cour- 
tesy, handed  each  young  lady  down,  bow- 
ing low,  and  thanking  her  for  the  honor  she 
had  conferred  upon  him  by  permitting  him 
to  take  her  to  the  fair. 

"  Oh,  you  do  truly  know  we  have  to 


166    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

thank  you  for  giving  us  such  a  lovely  day!  ' 
said  Dorothy. 

"  But  think  how  happy  I  have  been," 
he  said,  and  although  his  blue  eyes 
were  laughing,  they  knew  that  he  meant 
it. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  we  had  the  finest  time," 
cried  Dorothy,  "  and  see  the  fine  basket  of 
candy  and  the  pretty  birch  bark  box!  See 
the  little  ferns  growing  in  it.  Isn't  he 
dear?  " 

"  He  surely  is  charming,"  said  Mrs. 
Dainty.  "  His  generous,  sunny  nature 
makes  every  one  love  him,  and  I  believe 
he  values  the  love  of  his  friends  more  than 
most  things." 

"  He  has  been  gay,  and  full  of  fun  all 
day,"  said  Nancy,  "  and  it  will  take  a  long 
time  to  tell  you  all  the  pleasant  things  he 
did  for  us.  I  do  wish  you  and  Aunt  Char- 


FLOSSIE'S   LETTER  167 

lotte  could  have  been  there  when  he  had  his 
fortune  told." 

"  And  he  couldn't  -have  been  any  nicer  to 
us  if  we'd  been  tall  ladies,"  said  Moretta. 

"  I  hope  every  one  of  you  little  friends 
were  real  little  ladies,  thus  rewarding  him 
for  his  kindness,"  Aunt  Charlotte  said, 
gently. 

"  Oh,  we  were,"  said  Nancy,  "  not  a  sin- 
gle one  of  us  did  anything  that  could 
trouble  him." 

"  There  were  a  number  of  little  girls  who 
only  came  here  last  week,  so  we  weren't 
much  acquainted  with  them,  but  they  were 
all  very  nice,  and  he  said  he  had  as  fine  a 
time  as  we  did,"  said  Dorothy. 

She  climbed  into  a  large  hammock,  and 
with  Nancy  beside  her,  sat  swinging,  and 
thinking  of  the  day  that  had  been  so  de- 
lightfully spent. 


168    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Mrs.  Fenton  came  out  upon  the  piazza, 
and,  instead  of  sitting  down,  seemed  to  be 
looking  for  something. 

"  Can  I  help  you?  "  said  Nancy,  slipping 
from  the  hammock,  and  hastening  toward 
her. 

"  I've  mislaid  my  glasses,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  can't  find  them." 

She  did  not  thank  Nancy  for  so  kindly 
offering  to  help  her,  but  Nancy  seemed  not 
to  notice  that.  She  peeped  under  chairs, 
lifted  their  cushions,  and  even  looked  be- 
tween folds  of  newspapers  that  lay  near  at 
hand,  but  the  glasses  were  not  in  sight. 

"  How  trying!  "  said  Mrs.  Fenton,  "  I 
have  some  letters  that  I  wish  to  read,  and 
I  can't  read  them  until  my  glasses  are 
found." 

"  Did  you  use  them  anywhere  but  just 
here?  "  Nancy  asked. 


FLOSSIE'S  LETTER  169 

Mrs.  Fenton  stood  for  a  moment  think- 
ing. 

"  Seems  to  me  I  did  have  them  in  the 
dining-room,"  she  said. 

"  I'll  go  and  ask  the  waitresses  if  they 
have  seen  them,"  said  Nancy,  as  she  ran 
toward  the  hall. 

She  paused  in  the  doorway,  amazed  at 
what  she  saw. 

Floretta,  with  a  pair  of  eyeglasses  upon 
her  small  nose,  was  walking  up  and  down 
the  room,  as  nearly  as  possible,  in  Mrs. 
Fenton 's  manner,  and  exactly  imitating  her 
voice,  while  a  group  of  waitresses,  the  cook, 
and  two  kitchen  maids  laughed,  and  ap- 
plauded her. 

She  cared  not  who  composed  her  audi- 
ence, so  long  as  she  obtained  applause. 
Floretta  was,  evidently,  quite  herself  once 
more! 


170    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

11  Oh,  Floretta!  "  cried  Nancy,  "  you 
mustn't,  truly  you  mustn't.  Give  me  the 
glasses.  Mrs.  Fenton  is  looking  every- 
where for  them!  ' 

"  Well,  I  sha'n't  give  them  to  you!  "  said 
Floretta,  rudely.  "  You  aren't  Mrs.  Fen- 
ton." 

"  But  I've  been  helping  her  to  hunt  for 
them.  She  has  some  letters  she  wants  to 
read,  and  she  can't  till  she  has  her  glasses," 
insisted  Nancy. 

"  Then  let  her  come  for  them!  "  cried 
Floretta,  when  a  quiet  voice  spoke. 

"  Very  well,  I  have  come  for  them,"  it 
said,  and  there  in  the  doorway  stood  Mrs. 
Fenton. 

The  silly  maids  who  had  laughed  so 
loudly,  now  hastily  disappeared  in  the 
kitchen. 

Floretta  dropped  the  glasses  upon  the 


171 

table,  and  then,  wholly  ashamed,  crawled 
under  it,  where  Mrs.  Fenton 's  sharp  eyes 
might  not  look  at  her. 

Mrs.  Fenton  took  the  glasses,  and  with- 
out another  word,  swept  from  the  room. 

Nancy,  waiting  in  the  hall,  crept  softly 
toward  her,  and  gently  laid  her  hand  on  the 
lady's  arm. 

"  I'm  so  sorry  she  did  that.  I  wish  I 
could  have  got  the  glasses  from  her,  and 
brought  them  to  you  before  you  came  to 
find  them.  Then  you  needn't  have  known 
how  naughty,—  '  Nancy  caught  her  breath. 

"  Never  mind  that,  Nancy.  Remember, 
as  /  shall,  that  you  were  not  the  naughty, 
disgusting  child,"  said  Mrs.  Fenton,  and 
she  turned,  with  her  letters  and  glasses  in 
her  hand,  and  went  up  the  long  stairway  to 
her  room. 

It  was  nearly  time  to  dress  for  dinner, 


172   DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 
which    was    always    served    promptly    at 

six. 

Mrs.  Dainty  with  Dorothy,  and  Aunt 
Charlotte  with  Nancy  hastened  to  their 
rooms,  to  freshen  their  toilettes,  and  Nancy 
realized  that  there  would  not  be  time  to  tell 
Aunt  Charlotte  all  about  the  unpleasant 
happening. 

"I've  something  to  tell  you,  but  I'll  have 
to  wait  till  we've  plenty  of  time,"  she 
said. 

Aunt  Charlotte,  tying  the  soft,  blue  rib- 
bon into  the  brown  curls,  looked  into  the 
mirror  before  which  they  were  standing, 
and  smiled  at  the  thoughtful  face. 

"  Will  it  keep  until  then,  dear?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nancy,  "  I  only  tell  it 
to  you  because  I  love  to  tell  you  every- 
thing." 


FLOSSIE'S   LETTER  173 

"Dear  child,"  said  Aunt  Charlotte,  "I 
bless  the  day  that  you,  as  a  little  waif,  were 
taken  in  by  Mrs.  Dainty,  and  that  I  was 
asked  to  come  and  care  for  you.  I  could 
not  love  you  more  if  you  were  my  own  little 
girl." 

"  I  never  saw  my  own  mamma;  she  died 
when  I  was  a  baby,"  said  Nancy,  "  so,  be- 
cause you  love  me,  you  seem  like  my  very 


own.' 


Gentle  Aunt  Charlotte's  eyes  were  wet 
with  happy  tears,  as  she  hooked  the  pretty, 
white  muslin  frock,  with  its  slip  of  light 
blue,  and  tied  the  soft  blue  belt. 

"  Your  shoes  must  be  changed,  Nancy," 
she  said.  "  You  know  how  particular 
Mrs.  Dainty  is  about  the  matter  of  shoes 
and  stockings.  They  must  match  the 
frock." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Nancy,  "  and  with  this 


174    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

one  she  said:  t  Wear  blue  stockings  and 
bronze  slippers,'  so  I  will." 

She  found  the  blue  hose  and  the  pretty 
bronze  slippers,  then,  with  elfin  grace,  she 
caught  the  edge  of  her  skirt,  and  with  rosy, 
bare  feet,  tripped  across  the  floor  in  a  grace- 
ful, gliding  step,  crying: 

"Look,  Aunt  Charlotte,  look!  This 
pretty  step  Bonf anti  taught  me. ' ' 

Aunt  Charlotte  did  look,  and  as  she 
watched  the  pretty  child,  and  saw  her  joy 
in  dancing,  she  marvelled  that  little  Nancy 
could  smile  as  she  danced,  remembering  all 
that  she  had  been  taught,  while  apparently 
forgetting  all  the  unhappy  months  upon  the 
stage. 

She  thought  of  poor  little  Nancy,  forced 
to  dance,  night  after  night,  to  support  her 
old  Uncle  Steve,  who  was  too  lazy  to  sup- 
port himself. 


FLOSSIE'S  LETTER  175 

She  thought  of  the  time  that  the  little 
pitiful  note  from  Nancy  had  reached  them, 
and,  together,  she  and  Mrs.  Dainty  had 
found  the  child,  and  brought  her  safely 
home. 

She  did  not  speak  of  all  this.  Nancy's 
happy  little  heart  should  never  be  reminded 
of  sad  days  that  were  past. 

Now  her  life  was  filled  with  bright  sun- 
shine, the  sunshine  of  love,  and  it  was  re- 
flected in  her  happy  face. 

A  gong  rang  out  a  silvery  note. 

"  Oh,  my  shoes!  "  cried  Nancy,  with  a 
peal  of  merry  laughter.  "  I  wanted  to 
show  you  those  pretty  steps,  and  I  forgot 
all  about  dinner." 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  few  seconds  for 
Nancy  to  draw  on  the  light  blue  hose,  and 
even  less  time  to  put  on  the  pretty  slippers. 
She  ran  to  the  mirror,  and  courtesied,  took 


176    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

a  few  tripping  steps,  smiling  at  her  reflec- 
tion, and  then  hastened  to  the  hall  to  join 
Dorothy. 

"  All  ready,"  cried  Nancy,  springing  to 
her  feet,  to  follow  Dorothy. 

A  pretty  pair  they  made  as  with  arms 
about  each  other's  waist,  they  tripped  along 
the  hall. 

Fair,  blue-eyed  Dorothy  Dainty  was  very 
lovely  in  a  pale  pink  frock  with  soft  frill- 
ings  of  fine  lace.  Her  stockings  were  of  the 
same  shade,  and  her  shoes  were  white. 
Mrs.  Dainty  in  dark  blue  satin,  and  Aunt 
Charlotte  in  pearl  color  made,  with  the  two 
children,  a  pleasing  group. 

In  the  lower  hall  they  met  Mrs.  Paxton 
with  Floretta,  the  former  wearing  a  gown 
of  purple  satin,  while  Floretta  wore  a  frock 
of  scarlet  silk.  Mrs.  Fenton,  passing,  on 
her  way  to  the  dining-room,  looked  sharply 


SHE   TOOK   A   FEW    TR1PPIXG    STEPS,    SMILING  AT   HER   REFLECTION. 

Page  176. 


FLOSSIE'S   LETTER  177 

at  the  two  groups,  and  did  she  look  amused 
when  her  eyes  rested  upon  Mrs.  Paxton, 
and  her  small  daughter?  Dorothy  noticed 
the  look,  and  turned  to  her  mamma. 

Mrs.  Dainty  read  the  question  in  Doro- 
thy's eyes,  and  ever  so  slightly,  shook 
her  head,  and  they  passed  into  the  dining- 
room. 

The  next  morning,  when  the  mail  was 
distributed,  there  was  great  excitement,  be- 
cause every  one  had  so  many  letters. 

"  See  mine!  '  cried  Flossie  Barnet. 
"  Everybody  see  mine!  It  looks  like  boy's 
writing.  See  it!  ' 

"  If  some  very  young  man  wrote  it,  he 
might  not  be  delighted  to  have  it  so  freely 
exhibited,  Flossie,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  with 
a  laugh. 

"  Oh,  why  should  he  care?  "  she  asked  in 


178    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

surprise.  "  Who  do  you  s'pose  wrote  it? 
Guess,  Uncle  Harry!  ' 

"  Well,  now  let  me  think,"  said  Uncle 
Harry,  covering  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  then 
peeping  through  his  fingers. 

"  There's  a  small  boy  at  home,  who  glo- 
ries in  the  name  of  Reginald  Merton  Deane. 
Open  the  letter,  dear,  and  if  I  guessed  right, 
you  can  give  me  a  prize,  and  if  I'm  wrong, 
111  give  you  one." 

Flossie  studied  the  address  for  a  moment, 
then  she  opened  the  letter,  and  laughed 
with  delight. 

"I'll  have  to  give  you  the  prize,  but  why 
did  he  think  to  write  to  me?  ': 

Dear  little  Flossie  had  never  seemed 
aware  that  small  Reginald  preferred  her  to 
any  of  his  friends.  Even  when  she  was  so 
little  that  she  could  not  pronounce  his 
name,  and  called  him  "  Weginald,"  he 


FLOSSIE'S  LETTER  179 

thought  her  the  dearest  of  all  his  play- 
mates.   And  this  was  his  letter: 

"DEAR  FLOSSIE-. 

"  I  miss  you  so  much  that  I'm  going  to 
write,  and  tell  you  all  the  news. 

"  Our  old  dog  had  a  fit  yesterday,  and  my 
brother  got  the  vet 'nary  doctor.  When  he 
came,  he  said  Carlo  hadn't  any  fit.  He  was 
acting  just  awful.  I  said  t  what  makes  him 
tare  round  so?  '  an  he  said  maybe  I'd  tare 
round  sum  if  I  had  a  fish-bone  in  my  throat! 
The  doctor  took  it  out,  and  then  Carlo  was 
so  glad  he  tore  round  worsen  ever! 

"  Arabella  Corryville  is  acting  worse 
than  Carlo  did.  You  know  her  Aunt  Matilda 
lives  with  them,  an  neether  Arabella,  or  her 
pa,  or  her  ma  dare  to  do  ennything  without 
asking  Aunt  Matilda  'first .  Well,  her  aunt 
has  had  to  go  way  up  to  New  Hampshur  (I 


180    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

guess  I  didn't  spell  that  rite)  and  Arabella 
thinks  its  just  her  chanse  to  act  awful. 
Carlo  is  real  quiet  side  of  Arabella  when 
she  acts  the  way  she  does  now. 

"  She  stays  out  doors  most  all  the  time, 
and  goes  just  where  she  pleases. 

"  Some  days  she's  way  down  by  the  sta- 
shun  until  its  almost  dark. 

"  You  know  she's  always  taking  mede- 
sin,  and  carries  the  bottles  in  her  pock- 
ets. 

"  She  carries  em  now,  but  she  told  me 
she's  takin  the  kind  she  likes  best.  Theres 
two  kinds  her  Aunt  Matilda  made  her  take, 
one  tasted  horrid,  and  the  other  tasted  nice. 
Arabella  threw  the  horrid  one  away,  and 
ate  the  nice  pills  for  candy.  She  told  me 
this  morning  that  her  Aunt  Matilda  is  com- 
ing home  just  for  one  day,  and  then  they're 
all  going  up  where  you,  and  Dorothy,  and 


FLOSSIE'S   LETTER  181 

Nancy  are.  I  don't  believe  it,  but  if  she 
does,  and  you  see  her,  you  needn't  give  my 
love  to  her. 

"  Your  tru  friend, 

"  REGINALD." 


CHAPTER  X 

A  GIFT  OF  WILDFLOWERS 

OF  course,  Dorothy  and  Nancy  were 
greatly  interested  in  the  letter,  and 
Uncle  Harry  said  that  he  was  glad  that 
Reginald  had  thought  to  say  that  the  fish- 
bone had  been  removed  from  Carlo's  throat. 

He  said  it  would  have  seemed  quite  a  trip 
to  take  to  leave  the  Cleverton,  and  go  to 
Merrivale  to  feel  Carlo's  pulse,  and  inquire 
for  his  health. 

'''  Now  that  that  bone  is  removed,  I 
breathe  easier,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  "  and 
so  does  Carlo!  " 

"  Oh,  you  wouldn't  have  gone  home  just 
to  call  on  Carlo,"  said  Flossie. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  he  said,  trying  to 

182 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        183 

look  solemn,  "  I  wouldn't  like  Carlo  to  feel 
neglected,  and  now  I  think  of  it,  does  Regi- 
nald speak  of  the  cat?  ' 

"  No,"  said  Flossie,  "  but  when  I  answer 
the  letter,  I'll  tell  Reginald  you're  anxious 
about  her." 

"  I  am,"  said  Uncle  Harry,  "  because  the 
last  time  I  saw  her,  Carlo  was  barking  at 
her  very  rudely,  and  her  back  was  up  in 
a  hump  like  a  camel's.  Reginald  ought  to 
have  told  us  if  her  back  is  still  up,  or 
whether  she  has  taken  the  kink  out  of  her 
spine.  We  might  telephone  and  ask,  in- 
stead of  worrying." 

He  rose,  and  walked  toward  the  hall, 
whistling  as  he  went,  an  old  nursery  song 
that  he  used  to  sing  to  Flossie. 

"  The  cat  came  fiddling  out  of  the  barn, 
With  a  pair  of  bagpipes  under  her  arm." 

How  the  children  laughed! 


184    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Look!  "  said  Flossie,  "  lie's  going 
right  toward  the  telephone,  just  to 
make  us  think  that  he's  truly  going  to 
ring  up  Reginald,  and  inquire  for  the 
cat." 

"  Who  is  Arabella?  "  Floretta  asked. 

"  She  lives  near  us,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and 
she  used  to  go  to  Aunt  Charlotte's  private 
school  with  us." 

"  Doesn't  she  now?  "  asked  Floretta. 

"  No,  she  left  our  class,  and  went  to  a 
large  school  in  the  city." 

"  By  what  the  letter  says,  I'd  think  she 
was  rather  queer,"  said  Floretta. 

"  Well  -  said  Dorothy,  hesitating, 
"  Arabella  is  queer." 

"  Why  don't  you  like  to  say  so?  "  was 
the  sharp  reply. 

"  Because  Dorothy  never  likes  to  say 
anything  that  isn't  kind  about  any  one,  but 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        185 

Arabella  is  queer,  so  Dorothy  won't  say  she 
isn't,"  said  Nancy. 

It  was  a  few  days  later  that  Dorothy  was 
reminded  of  what  Reginald  had  said  in  his 
letter  to  Flossie. 

She  was  waiting  for  Nancy  to  go  for  a 
walk,  and  stooping  to  pick  some  of  the 
pretty  wildflowers  that  blossomed  every- 
where. 

She  had  walked  slowly  along  toward  the 
clump  of  white  birches  where,  when  they 
had  first  arrived,  they  had  called,  and  lis- 
tened to  the  echo. 

She  looked  back  toward  the  hotel,  but 
Nancy  was  not  yet  in  sight,  so  she  seated 
herself  upon  the  grass,  and  began  to  ar- 
range the  flowers  in  a  fine  bouquet. 

She  was  trying  to  mix  the  white  blossoms 
and  pink  buds  so  as  to  show  the  beauty 
of  each,  when  a  carriage  passed,  and  be- 


186    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

fore   she   looked   up   a   shrill   little   voice 
shouted: 

"  Dorothy!  Dorothy!  We're  over  at  the 
farmhouse  just  beyond  the  Merlington. 
Aunt  Matilda  wouldn't  let  pa  take  us  to 
a  hotel.  She  doesn't  approve  of  hotels. 
Aunt  Matilda  says,— 

She  was  looking  back  to  shout  at  Doro- 
thy, and  doubtless  would  have  given  even 
more  particulars,  but  a  firm  hand  had  ha- 
stily forced  her  to  turn  around,  and  sit 
down. 

Nancy  ran  along  the  path  a  few  moments 
later,  and  her  eyes  were  dancing. 

"  Did  you  see  Arabella?"  she  asked. 
"  Did  you?  " 

'  Yes,  just  a  few  moments  ago,  and  she 
turned  around  in  the  carriage  and  screamed 
to  me,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  I  can  guess  what  she  said,"  laughed 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        187 

Nancy,  "  because  she  screamed  at  me.  She 
told  me  she  was  staying  at  a  farmhouse, 
and  said  that  her  Aunt  Matilda  didn't  ap- 
prove of  hotels." 

"  That  is  just  what  she  said,"  said 
Dorothy,  "  and  she  would  have  said 
more  but  some  one,  I  think  it  was  her 
Aunt  Matilda,  pulled  her  back  into  the 
carriage." 

"  Why,  that's  just  the  way  it  was  when 
I  saw  her.  I  ran  out  on  to  the  piazza,  and 
down  the  steps,  and  the  carriage  rolled  by, 
and  she  twisted  round  to  shout.  There  was 
this  difference,  though,"  said  Nancy.  "  You 
were  out  here  alone,  and  no  one  would  know 
if  you  laughed,  but  when  I  ran  out,  our 
piazza  was  full  of  people,  and  when  Ara- 
bella shouted,  you'd  ought  to  have  seen 
them  look. 

"  Flossie  and  her  Uncle  Harry  were  on 


188    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

the  lawn,  and  as  she  rode  past,  he  said  with 

a  sigh: 

" '  Arabella,  Arabella, 

If  I  had  my  new  umbrella,' 

and  I  was  wild  to  know  the  rest  of  it,  but 
his  wife,  who  was  standing  near  him, 
said: 

"  '  Hush,  Harry,  really  you  mustn't/  and 
he  only  laughed,  and  said: 

"  '  Oh,  mustn't  I?  Why,  when  I  saw 
Arabella  and  her  Aunt  Matilda,  I  really  felt 
as  if  I  must!  ' 

"  Let's  ask  him  what  the  rest  of  the  verse 
is,"  said  Dorothy. 

"I'm  wild  to  hear  it,"  Nancy  said,  "  be- 
cause the  very  way  he  looked  made  me 
think  that  the  other  lines,  whatever  they 
were,  would  be  funny." 

She  stooped  to  gather  more  of  the  little 
blossoms  to  add  to  Dorothy's  bouquet,  and 


A   GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWER8        189 

then  commenced  to  make  a  bouquet  of  her 
own. 

"  Arabella  will  be  coming  over  to  see 
you,"  she  said,  a  moment  later,  "  and  I 
wonder  if  it  is  naughty  to  say,  '  I  wish  she 
wouldn't?  '  Do  you  think  it  is?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Dorothy,  "  but  I 
do  wish  it.  I  wouldn't,  only  she  is  so 
hard  to  please.  Mamma  wishes  us  to  be 
nice  to  every  one,  but,  Nancy,  you  do 
know  that  when  we  try  the  hardest  to 
please  Arabella,  we  don't  please  her  at 
all." 

"  I  know  it,"  agreed  Nancy,  "  but  per- 
haps she'll  come  some  time  when  we  are 
out,  and  then  we  won't  have  to  amuse 
her." 

"I'm  sure  I  ought  not  to  say  it,  but  I 
do  wish  it  would  happen  that  way,"  said 
Dorothy. 


190    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

They  had  reached  the  birches,  and  they 
paused  to  wake  the  echo.  What  fun  it  was 
to  hear  their  shouts  repeated. 

Again  and  again  they  called,  and  then  a 
droll  thing  happened.  They  had  called  this 
name  and  that,  and  each  time  the  echo, 
like  a  voice  from  the  mountain,  had  re- 
peated it  with  wonderful  distinctness. 
Then  Dorothy,  leaning  forward,  called, 
loudly: 

"  Dorothy!  " 

"  What?  "  came  the  reply. 

She  turned,  and  looked  at  Nancy.  "  Dor- 
othy! "  she  cried,  again. 

"  Dainty!  "  was  the  answer,  and  upon 
looking  toward  a  little  path  that  was  nearly 
opposite  where  they  were  standing,  they 
saw  the  low  bushes  move,  and  faintly  they 
heard  a  smothered  laugh. 

Dorothy  was  laughing  now. 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWER8        191 

"  Boys!  "  she  cried,  and  back  came  the 
laughing  echo: 

"  Girls!  "  and  then  the  boys  peeped  out 
a  bit  too  far,  and  Dorothy  saw  who  had 
been  playing  echo. 

It  was  Jack  Tiverton  and  a  boy  whom  he 
had  chosen  for  a  "  chum."  Jack  had  not 
intended  so  soon  to  be  discovered,  and  he 
and  his  friend  disappeared  in  a  little  grove, 
while  Dorothy  and  Nancy  continued  their 
walk. 

There  were  sunny  paths  and  bits  of  wood- 
land that  were  so  near  the  hotel  as  to  be 
absolutely  safe,  where  all  the  summer 
guests,  especially  the  children,  loved  to 
roam  at  will.  Along  one  of  these  little 
paths  were  sweet  little  yellow  blossoms, 
and  these  they  gathered  to  brighten  their 
bouquets. 

"  Let's  have  some  of  these  little  vines  to 


192    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

hang  from  our  bouquets,"  said  Dorothy, 
and  the  graceful  vines  proved  to  be  an 
added  beauty. 

When  they  returned  to  the  Cleverton 
there  were  but  few  people  upon  the  pi- 
azza. 

Mrs.  Dainty  and  Aunt  Charlotte  sat  talk- 
ing with  Mrs.  Vinton,  and  farther  along, 
Mrs.  Fenton  sat  with  an  open  book  upon  her 
lap,  although  she  was  not  reading. 

She  often  had  a  book  or  magazine,  but 
rarely  did  she  read  them. 

She  would  sit  looking  off  at  the  distant 
mountain-range,  the  white  clouds,  or  the 
sunny  valley  over  which  those  clouds  cast 
floating  shadows. 

Did  she  hear  the  conversation,  or  notice 
what  was  going  on  about  her?  Floretta 
Paxton  said  that  Mrs.  Fenton  acted  as  if 
she  sat  there  to  watch  some  one;  and  was 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        193 

Floretta  right?  Mrs.  Fenton 's  actions  cer- 
tainly seemed  strange  day  after  day.  She 
talked  little,  took  slight  interest  in  what 
was  going  on  about  her,  and  was  a  mystery 
to  all  the  other  guests. 

But  what,  or  whom  could  she  be  watch- 
ing? 

Dorothy  and  Nancy,  returning  from  their 
walk,  saw  the  group,  and  also  noticed  Mrs. 
Fenton,  who  always  chose  to  sit  apart  from 
the  others. 

"I'll  give  my  flowers  to  mamma  and  Mrs. 
Vinton,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  And  I'll  give  mine  to  Aunt  Charlotte 
and  to  Mrs.  Fenton,— if  she  wants  them," 
said  ^Nancy,  hesitating  because  it  was  so 
hard  to  guess  what  might,  or  might  not, 
please  Mrs.  Fenton. 

Dorothy  ran  to  show  her  blossoms  to  her 
mamma  and  to  Mrs.  Vinton,  while  Nancy, 


194    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

pausing  beside  Mrs.  Fenton 's  chair,  held 
forth  her  pretty  bouquet,  as  she  said: 

"  We've  just  gathered  them.  Aren't  they 
pretty?  " 

"  Lovely,  very  lovely,"  said  Mrs.  Fenton, 
with  more  interest  than  usual.  "  I  remem- 
ber picking  just  such  flowers;  even  the  long 
vines  I  know  are  like  those  I  used  to  see 
when  I  was  a  little  girl." 

"  Would  you  enjoy  some  of  these?  I'd 
so  like  to  give  them  to  you,"  Nancy  said, 
and  she  was  surprised  at  the  quick  reply. 

"  I  would  really  prize  them,  Nancy,  and 
you're  a  sweet  child  to  give  them  to  me," 
she  said. 

Quickly  Nancy  divided  the  bouquet,  and 
smiled  as  she  laid  the  pretty  things  in  Mrs. 
Fenton 's  lap. 

"  I  cannot  let  them  wilt,  so  I  will  take 
them  at  once  to  my  room,"  said  Mrs. 


A   GIFT   OF   WILDFLOWEBS        195 

Fenton,  and  Nancy  saw  her  bend  to  catch 
their  perfume,  as  she  turned  toward  the 
haU. 

That  night,  when  nearly  all  the  guests  had 
entered  the  dining-room,  Mrs.  Fenton  came 
in  at  the  main  entrance,  and  as  she  sat 
nearly  opposite  Mrs.  Dainty's  party,  they 
noticed  that  the  bodice  of  her  black  lace 
gown  was  given  color  by  the  pretty  wild- 
flowers  that  Nancy  had  given  her.  They 
were  the  first  flowers  that  she  had  worn 
since  her  arrival. 

Nancy  smiled  with  pleasure,  and  Mrs. 
Fenton,  looking  across  the  table,  returned 
the  smile. 

Had  the  gift  of  simple  wildflowers  cheered 
her? 

Thus  far  she  had  worn  only  black,  but  to- 
night a  dull  gold  slip  shimmered  through 
the  black  lace;  and  were  her  eyes  brighter? 


196    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Nancy  thought  so,  and  without  knowing 
why,  was  glad. 

There  was  a  musicale  in  the  evening,  and 
Mrs.  Fenton  joined  Mrs.  Dainty  and  Aunt 
Charlotte,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  conver- 
sation, between  the  numbers  of  the  pro- 
gram. 

Once,  while  she  was  talking,  she  laid  her 
hand  lightly  upon  Nancy's  shoulder,  and 
Nancy  looked  up  to  smile.  Aunt  Charlotte 
saw  that  the  lady  was  more  cheerful,  and 
also  noticed  that  she  wore  Nancy's  flowers. 
The  evening  passed  pleasantly,  and  Nancy's 
drowsy  words,  just  before  she  went  to  sleep, 
were: 

"  I  do  really  think  I  cheered  her." 

A  few  days  later  Mrs.  Dainty  invited  Mrs. 
Fenton  to  be  her  guest  during  a  drive  over 
a  lovely  road  that  neither  of  them  had  yet 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        197 

seen.  It  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque roads  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try. 

Mrs.  Fenton  accepted,  and  with  Aunt 
Charlotte  and  Mrs.  Vinton  they  formed  a 
pleasant  party. 

Dorothy  and  Nancy  were  to  drive  in  their 
little  phaeton,  and  they  felt  quite  as  impor- 
tant as  the  four  ladies  in  the  barouche. 

True,  Mrs.  Dainty  owned  a  handsome 
span  of  bays,  but  was  not  the  pony,  Romeo, 
a  beauty? 

The  road  was  some  distance  from  the 
Cleverton,  and  there  were  some  charming 
places  to  be  seen  on  the  way,  so  it  happened 
that  the  trip,  which  proved  to  be  most  en- 
joyable, occupied  the  afternoon. 

Mrs.  Paxton  had  a  number  of  letters  to 
write,  and  Floretta,  feeling  very  lonely,  and 
wishing  that  she  had  some  one  to  play  with, 


198    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

climbed  into  a  hammock,  and  wondered 
what  she  might  do  to  amuse  herself. 

"  Every  one  but  me  has  gone  somewhere, 
and  I  wish  I  had,"  she  said,  as  she 
gave  a  smart  kick  that  sent  the  hammock 
higher. 

"  What's  the  fun  of  swinging  alone?  "  she 
grumbled,  but  there  was  no  one  on  the  pi- 
azza to  answer  her,  and  she  let  the  hammock 
sway  lazily  while  she  looked  down  the  slinny 
road,  and  thought  how  strange  it  was  that 
the  place  seemed  so  still. 

Not  a  leaf  stirred,  and  Floretta's  disgust 
increased. 

"  Nothing  in  sight,  not  even  an  old  hen," 
she  said,  when,  way  down  where  the  road 
looked  so  narrow  and  distant,  a  little  figure 
appeared,  coming  directly  toward  the  Clev- 
erton.  She  watched  the  approaching  figure, 
and  wondered  who  it  might  be. 


A    GIFT   OF    WILDFLOWERS        199 

"  Tisn't  any  one  I  know,"  she  thought, 
"  and  doesn't  she  look  queer?  ' 

Any  one  who  had  ever  known  Arabella 
Corryville  would  also  have  known  that  she 
always  looked  decidedly  odd  and  strange, 
and  it  was  Arabella  who  was  marching 
steadily  along  the  road. 

So  determined  was  her  tread  that  one 
might  have  thought  that  there  was  a  band 
behind  her  playing  martial  music  to  which 
she  was  obliged  to  keep  step. 

"  Well,  whoever  she  is,  she's  carrying  an 
umbrella,  this  pleasant  day,"  murmured 
Floretta;  then  as  she  came  near,  she 
added: 

"  And  wearing  rubbers  and  a  raincoat, 
as  true  as  I  live! ' 

Arabella  was  more  bundled  and  wrapped 
than  at  first  appeared,  for,  as  she  came  up 
the  gravel  walk,  Floretta  saw  that  a  long 


200    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

veil  was  closely  tied  over  her  hat,  and  wound 
about  her  throat. 

From  her  appearance  one  might  have 
thought  that  she  expected  freezing  weather 
before  night. 

She  walked  up  on  to  the  piazza,  and  then 
stood,  for  a  moment,  looking  about,  as  if  in 
search  of  some  one. 

It  was  not  politeness  that  prompted  Flor- 
etta  to  speak.  It  was  simply  curiosity.  She 
was  wild  to  know  who  the  strange-looking 
child  was,  and  whom  she  wished  to  see. 

"Are  you  looking  for  some  one?  "  she 
asked,  at  the  same  time  slipping  from  the 
hammock,  and  going  so  close  to  Arabella 
that  she  could  peep  into  the  queer  little  face. 


CHAPTER   XI 

ARABELLA  MAKES  A  CALL 

A  RABELLA  peered  at  Moretta  through 
*-*-  her  spectacles,  and  was  tempted  not 
to  reply,  but  after  a  moment's  pause  she 
changed  her  mind. 

"  I  came  to  see  Dorothy  Dainty,  and 
Nancy  Ferris,'7  she  said. 

"  They're  out  driving,"  said  Moretta. 

"  How  do  you  know?  "  Arabella  asked, 
rudely. 

"  Because  I  heard  them  say  they  were 
going,  and  because  I  saw  them  go,"  was  the 
quick  reply. 

"  It's  a  long  way  over  here,  and  now  I've 
got  to  take  the  same  walk  back,"  said  Ara- 
bella. 

201 


202    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  They're  going  to  be  out  all  the  after- 
noon," said  Floretta,  "  but  why  don't  you 
sit  down,  and  rest  a  while  before  you  go 
back?  " 

It  sounded  kind,  and  Arabella  at  once 
seated  herself,  while  Floretta  sat  near 
her. 

She  thought  it  would  be  great  fun  to  ques- 
tion this  odd  child,  and  there  was  no  one 
near  to  check  her. 

"  Aren't  you  nearly  roasted  in  that  rain- 
coat? "  she  asked. 

"  Well,  I'm  not  chilly,"  said  Arabella, 
fixing  her  sharp  eyes  upon  the  other  little 
girl. 

"  Did  you  think  it  was  going  to  rain?  ' 
was  the  next  question.     "  You've  rubbers, 
and  umbrella. " 

Floretta  barely  managed  to  hide  the  fact 
that  she  wanted  to  laugh.  Her  question 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL       203 

seemed  so  absurd  with  the  blue  sky  over- 
head, and  the  sunshine  everywhere. 

"  I  didn't  want  to  wear  them,"  said  Ara- 
bella, "  and  I  told  Aunt  Matilda  it  was  too 
pleasant  to  rain,  but  she  said  you  never  could 
tell,  and  she  said,  too,  that  I  could  wear 
them,  or  stay  at  home,  so  what  could  I 
do?" 

"  Pd  have  stayed  at  home,"  said  Floretta, 
bluntly.  "  I  wouldn't  wear  raincoat  and 
rubbers,  and  lug  an  umbrella  for  any  Aunt 
Matilda  or  Aunt  Jemima !  ' 

"  Who  is  Aunt  Jemima?  "  Arabella  asked, 
stupidly. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Floretta,  sharply, 
"  but  then,  I  don't  know  your  Aunt  Ma- 
tilda." 

She  longed  to  say  that  she  did  not  want 
to,  but  for  once  she  did  not  quite  dare  to  say 
what  she  thought. 


204    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

Then  there  was  an  awkward  pause.  Flor- 
etta  could  not  think  what  to  say  next,  while 
Arabella  did  not  try. 

Silence  never  made  her  uneasy.  She 
could  stare  at  any  one  who  sat  opposite  her, 
for  a  half -hour,  without  so  much  as  winking, 
and  it  rather  amused  her  if  the  other  person 
became  nervous,  and  wriggled  uneasily  be- 
neath her  persistent  stare.  At  last  Floretta 
spoke. 

"  You  might  take  some  of  those  things 
off,"  she  said;  "  you  won't  need  them  while 
you  stay." 

"  Aunt  Matilda  told  me  not  to,"  said  Ara- 
bella, "  and  if  I  did,  it  would  be  just  my 
luck  to  have  her  come  right  by  here,  and 
see  me  with  them  off.  My!  Wouldn't  she 
be  angry?  " 

Arabella's  eyes  dilated  as  she  asked  the 
question. 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL      205 

"  Does  your  Aunt  Matilda  poke  'round 
after  you  like  that?  "  asked  Floretta. 

"  She  doesn't  ever  seem  to  follow  me,  but 
all  the  same,  she's  always  catching  me  doing 
something." 

"  Then  you  do  risk  doing  what  she  tells 
you  not  to,"  said  Floretta,  with  a  saucy 
laugh. 

"  Look  here!  "  cried  Arabella,  "  I  don't 
know  you,  but  I'm  going  to  tell  you  some- 
thing. I  can't  do  one  single  thing  I  want 
to,  neither  can  my  papa  or  mamma.  Aunt 
Matilda  is  little,  and  my  papa  is  big.  He 
says  he  was  centre-rush  on  the  college  foot- 
ball team,  but  when  Aunt  Matilda  tells  him 
what  to  do,  he  says,  '  Yes'm,'  and  does  it. 
One  of  our  neighbors  at  home  says  Aunt 
Matilda  holds  the  purse-strings,  but  I  don't 
know  what  that  means.  Her  purse  hasn't 
any  strings  on  it." 


206    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

11  Well,  if  it  had,  I'd  cut  'em  off," 
said  Floretta,  "  so  she  couldn't  hold 
'em." 

"  You  wouldn't  if  she  lived  at  your 
house,"  said  Arabella. 

Floretta,  in  spite  of  her  boldness,  was 
more  than  half  convinced. 

"  Well,  —  perhaps  I  wouldn't,"  she  said. 
"  Why,  what  are  you  taking?  ' 

"  Pills,"  said  Arabella,  counting  out 
six  very  pink  pills  from  a  little  bottle, 
and  taking  them,  then  making  a  horrid 
face. 

.  "  You  don't  look  sick,"  said  Floretta, 
"  but  you're  taking  medicine." 

"  Aunt  Matilda  says  these  are  for  my 
color,"  was  the  answer. 

"  You  haven't  any;  you're  pale  as  a 
sheet,"  said  Floretta. 

"  That's  why  I  take  them,"  said  Ara- 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL      207 

bella,  "  and  look!  I've  got  some  green  ones 
I  take,"  and  six  green  pills  followed  the 
pink  ones. 

"  Why,  what  are  those  for?  '  gasped 
Floretta.  "  Ought  you  to  take  two  kinds 
at  the  same  time  ?  ' 

Arabella,  determined  to  startle  her  new 
acquaintance,  took  a  third  bottle  from  her 
pocket,  and  swallowed  three  very  large 
white  pills. 

She  was  delighted  with  the  effect  that  she 
had  produced. 

Floretta  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  tried  to 
snatch  the  bottle,  but  Arabella  had  put  it 
in  her  pocket,  and  was  holding  the  pocket 
together. 

She  narrowed  her  shrewd  little  eyes,  and 
smiled  broadly. 

"  Guess  you  couldn't  take  all  that,  and 
not  feel  queer!  "  she  said. 


208    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  I  wouldn't  wonder  if  you  felt  funny. 
Do  you?  "  asked  Floretta. 

"  Not  yet"  said  Arabella. 

Floretta  was  getting  tired  of  her 
caller.  She  hoped  that  she  hadn't  any 
more  kinds  of  medicine  that  she  could 
take. 

She  wished  that  Dorothy  would  return 
and  amuse  Arabella. 

She  would  have  run  away  from  any  one 
else,  and  rudely  left  her  alone,  but  there 
was  something  so  strange  about  this  child 
that  she  feared  her. 

She  had  a  nervous  feeling  that  if  she 
turned  to  leave  her,  Arabella  might  snatch 
at  her,  and  draw  her  back.  She  certainly 
did  look  odd. 

There  was  something  catlike  in  the  way 
in  which  she  kept  her  eyes  riveted  upon 
Floretta. 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A  CALL      209 

She  looked  as  if,  at  any  moment,  she 
might  spring  at  her! 

She  was  not  thinking  of  doing  anything 
of  the  sort,  however. 

The  truth  was  that  she  did  feel  just  a  bit 
queer. 

Was  it  the  three  kinds  of  pills'? 
She  could  not  tell,  but  she  began  to  feel 
as  if  she  would  be  glad  if  she  were  at 
home. 

"  I  guess  I'll  go  now,"  she  said.  "  I 
think  it  must  be  time." 

"  What  time  did  your  Aunt  Matilda 
tell  you  to  come  home? '  Floretta 
asked. 

"  She  said  I  could  stay  to  dinner  if  Doro- 
thy asked  me,  but  she  doesn't  come  home, 
so  I  guess  I  won't  wait." 

"Go  to  dinner  at  the  Cleverton  in  that 
plaid  gingham!  "  thought  Floretta,  for  she 


210    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

had  seen  the  plain  little  frock  beneath  the 
raincoat. 

Arabella  grasped  her  big  umbrella  firmly, 
and  turned,  as  she  went  down  the  steps,  to 
say: 

"  You  may  tell  Dorothy  Dainty  that 
Miss  Corryville  called." 

Floretta  giggled. 

"  And  you  might  tell  your  Aunt  Matilda 
that  you  talked  with  Miss  Paxton,"  she 
said. 

"  I  will,"  said  Arabella,  without  a  sign 
of  a  smile. 

"  I  wonder  you  don't  leave  cards,"  said 
Floretta,  and  to  her  surprise,  the  queer 
child  put  her  hand  in  the  pocket  of  her  rain- 
coat, and,  without  looking  at  them,  offered 
two  cards  to  Floretta,  saying: 

"  There  they  are." 

Then,  without  looking  back,  she  marched 


SHE    OFFERED    TWO    CARDS   TO    FLORETTA. — Page  210. 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL      211 

resolutely  down  the  road.  She  did  not 
thank  Floretta  for  talking  with  her  while 
she  rested,  nor  did  she  say  "  good-by." 

For  some  moments  Floretta  stood  watch- 
ing the  odd  little  figure  as  it  tramped  down 
the  road,  the  umbrella,  like  a  huge  walking 
stick,  thumping  the  gravel  at  every  step. 
She  thought  Arabella  would  turn  around, 
but  she  did  not. 

One  might  have  thought  that  she  had 
already  forgotten  the  child  with  whom  she 
had  been  talking.  When,  at  last,  she 
disappeared  behind  a  clump  of  trees 
that  hid  the  curve  of  the  road,  Floretta 
looked  at  the  two  cards  in  her  hand, 
stared  at  them  in  amazement,  and  then 
laughed,  laughed  until  her  eyes  were  full 
of  tears. 

Who  could  have  helped  laughing?  One 
card  bore  these  lines : 


212    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

JAMES  HORTON  WORTH, 

PAINLESS  DENTISTRY, 
10  TREVOR  STREET,  MERRIVALE. 

While  the  other,  equally  interesting,  bore 
this  statement: 

ALTON  JUSTUS  MEER, 

JEWELLER, 
90  RUPERT  ROAD,  MERRIVALE. 

"  How  perfectly  funny,"  cried  Floretta. 
"  I'll  run  up  and  show  them  to  mamma,  and 
then  I'll  wait  here  to  give  them  to  Dorothy 
and  Nancy  when  they  come.  I  wonder  if 
they'll  have  any  choice?  ' 

Dorothy  and  Nancy  felt,  as  did  the  older 
members  of  the  party,  that  the  ride  had 
been  the  most  delightful  of  any  that  they 
had  enjoyed  since  their  arrival. 

The  horses  were  tossing  their  manes,  and 
Romeo,  as  if  in  imitation,  tossed  his  so  that 
it  showed  all  its  silken  beauty. 


ARABELLA   MAKES  A  CALL       213 

"  See  Mm!  "  cried  Dorothy.  "  He  thinks 
he's  as  fine  as  any  horse." 

"  Well,  he  is  as  dear  as  they/*  said 
Nancy. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  dearer." 

And  when  the  horses  and  the  pony  had 
been  led  around  to  the  stable,  and  the 
older  members  of  the  party  had  reached 
the  piazza,  Dorothy  and  Nancy,  who  had 
paused  for  a  moment  to  talk,  ran  up  the 
steps,  intending  to  sit  together  in  a  large 
rocker. 

Before  they  reached  the  chair,  Floretta 
flew  toward  them. 

"  You  had  a  funny  caller  while  you  were 
out  driving,"  she  said,  with  a  giggle,  "  and 
she  was  so  very  fashionable  that  she  left 
these  cards.  She  told  me  to  tell  you  that 
Miss  Corryville  had  called." 

"  It  was  Arabella,"  said  Nancy. 


214    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Did  she  truly  say  '  Miss?  '  "  Dorothy 
asked. 

"  Well,  didn't  I  say  sol  "  Floretta  asked 
rudely;  "  and  I  told  her  to  tell  her  Aunt 
Matilda  that  she  talked  with  Miss  Paxton, 
and  she  said  she  would.  She  waited  a  long 
time  for  you  to  come  home,  because  she  said 
she  meant  to  stay  to  dinner  with  you.  Say! 
She  had  on  a  calico  dress!  Wouldn't  she 
have  looked  gay?  r 

"  It  isn't  very  kind  to  laugh  at  any  one's 
clothes,"  said  Dorothy,  "  and  it's  not  very 
nice  to  laugh  at  other  people's  friends." 

"  Pooh!  "  cried  Floretta,  "  I  shall  laugh 
at  whoever  I  please,"  and  she  turned  and 
ran  up  to  her  room. 

But  she  had  laughed  once  too  often! 
During  the  ride,  Mrs.  Fenton  had  spoken 
of  Floretta 's  rude  ways,  and  of  the  day 
when,  upon  following  Nancy  to  the  dining- 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL      215 

room,  she  had  caught  the  provoking  child 
in  the  act  of  mimicking  her. 

"  Your  little  Nancy  was  grieved  and  dis- 
tressed because  she  knew  that  I  saw  it. 
'  What  a  difference  there  is  in  children !  The 
Paxton  child  is  disgusting,  while  Nancy, 
who,  I  have  heard,  was  a  little  waif,  is  as 
gentle  as  Dorothy,  who  was  born  the  little 
daughter  of  a  fine,  old  family." 

Aunt  Charlotte  and  Mrs.  Dainty  had  told 
Mrs.  Fenton  something  of  Nancy's  life,  and 
noticed  how  deeply  interested  she  seemed 
to  be. 

Mrs.  Paxton  had  realized  that  ever  since 
the  day  that  Floretta  had  told  of  being 
caught  mimicking  Mrs.  Fenton  for  the 
amusement  of  the  waitresses  and  maids, 
Mrs.  Fenton  had  shunned  them.  She  had 
made  desperate  efforts  to  win  Mrs.  Fenton 's 
friendship,  but  never  very  successfully,  as 


216    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

she  found  that  her  little  daughter's  silly 
act  had  rendered  any  intimacy  quite  im- 
possible. 

A  few  days  after  the  ride,  Mrs.  Fenton 
did  not  appear  at  lunch,  or  at  dinner,  and 
when  Mrs.  Paxton,  with  elaborate  interest, 
inquired  for  her,  she  learned  that  the  lady 
had  left  very  early  that  morning,  before  any 
guests  were  on  the  piazza  to  see  her  depart. 

It  certainly  did  seem  odd  that  she  should 
have  left,  without  a  word  to  those  whom 
she  had  known,  but  Mrs.  Dainty,  with  her 
customary  good  taste,  made  no  comment, 
and  Aunt  Charlotte  Grayson  was  equally 
silent. 

Mrs.  Paxton  did  just  as  one  might  have 
expected.  She  expressed,  in  a  very  loud 
voice,  her  disgust  at  being  thus  pointedly 
slighted,  for  so  she  chose  to  feel. 

"  After  all  my  friendliness,  I  can't  see 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL       217 

how  she  could  leave  the  Cleverton  without 
so  much  as  a  word  to  me.  Why,  I  felt  al- 
most like  a  relative,  as  my  name  was  Fen- 
ton  before  I  married !  ' 

"  I  guess  Mrs.  Fenton  didn't  have  what 
you  might  call  a  family  feeling,"  said  old 
Mr.  Cunningham,  which  so  angered  Mrs. 
Paxton  that  she  politely  turned  her  back. 

Two  letters  arrived  at  the  Cleverton  that 
afternoon,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  say 
which  caused  the  greater  surprise. 

Mrs.  Paxton  told  the  contents  of  hers  to 
all  who  would  listen,  and  there  were  enough 
who  were  curious,  to  make  a  good  audi- 
ence. 

"To  MRS  CLARA  FENTON  PAXTON:"  it 
began,  refraining  from  any  endearing 
terms. 

' '  I  knew,  before  I  met  you,  that  you  and 
your  small  daughter  were  related  to  my 


218    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

husband,  and  also  knew  that  he  entertained 
no  admiration  for  you.  He  left  his  entire 
estate  to  me,  and  as  you  were  but  a  distant 
relative,  you  could  expect  no  inheritance. 
However,  with  a  determination  to  deal 
fairly  with  all  my  kin  (I  have  but  three 
such),  I  came  to  the  Cleverton  to  see  you 
and  your  little  daughter,  intending,  if  she 
proved  sweet-tempered  and  attractive,  to 
will  my  property  to  her.  She  is  the  only 
one  of  the  three  relatives  who  bears  my 
husband's  name. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  be  harsh,  but  I  am 
forced  to  admit  that  I  find  her  to  be  bold, 
naturally  unkind,  and  wholly  lacking  in  the 
grace  and  courtesy  which  most  children 
possess,  either  by  training  or  inheritance. 

''  I,  therefore,  have  made  my  will  in  favor 
of  Nancy  Ferris,  once  a  little  waif,  now  a 
sweet,  gentle,  and  attractive  child,  whose 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL       219 

little  acts  of  courtesy  and  kindness  are  fully 
appreciated  by 

"  Her  friend, 

"  CECILIA  CULLEN  FENTON." 

"  A  most  singular  woman,  to  leave  her 
property  to  a  waif,  a  child  of  the  theatre, 
and  not  bequeath  so  much  as  a  penny  to 
my  Floretta,  whom  any  one  could  see  is  an 
aristocrat,"  said  Mrs.  Paxton. 

"  Mrs.  Fenton,  or  anybody  else,  would 
need  some  rather  strong  glasses  to  see 
that!  "  muttered  Mr.  Cunningham. 

He  was  a  testy  old  fellow,  and  he,  like 
other  guests  of  the  hotel,  had  become  ex- 
ceedingly tired  of  Mrs.  Paxton  and  her  un- 
lovely child. 

The  other  letter  gave  surprise  and  delight 
to  the  two  who  had  shared  in  the  care  and 
training  of  little  Nancy. 


220    DOROTHY  AT  TEE  MOUNTAINS 

"  To  MBS.  RUDOLPH  DAINTY,  AND  TO 
MRS.  CHARLOTTE  GRAYSON, 

"DEAR  FRIENDS:-  'was  its  greeting, 
and  then  followed  the  story  of  the  writer's 
visit  to  the  Cleverton,  and  the  statement 
that  her  few  relatives  were  too  distant  to 
have  any  valid  claim  to  her  estate. 

"  I  was  greatly  displeased  with  the  two 
of  my  kin  whom  I  came  to  observe,  and  I 
will  not  dwell  upon  that,  but,  instead,  will 
take  this  time  to  say  that  Dorothy  Dainty 
and  Nancy  Ferris,  are  the  two  dearest  chil- 
dren that  it  has  been  my  pleasure  to  know. 

"  Dorothy's  life  has  been  sunny,  and 
Nancy's  story,  as  you  told  it  to  me,  appealed 
to  me,  and  I  looked  with  even  greater  inter- 
est at  the  child  who,  under  your  loving  care, 
had  blossomed  like  a  lovely  flower. 

''  Dorothy  has  her  parents,  and  will  in- 
herit a  fortune.  Nancy  has  no  parents,  and 


ARABELLA  MAKES  A   CALL      221 

I  know,  will  be  kindly  cared  for  by  you,  but 
that  fact  will  not  deter  me  from  making  a 
bequest  that  gives  me  greatest  pleasure. 

"  I  shall  leave  all  of  my  estate  to  Nancy 
Ferris,  and  I  remind  her,  in  some  little 
verses  that  I  enclose,  how  deeply  I  have 
appreciated  her  many  little  kindnesses. 

To  NANCY 

"  Dear  little  girl,  I  know  that  you  will  daily 
Do  loving  acts  of  kindness,  and  of  cheer, 
Thus  urging  life  to  sing  its  song  more  gaily 
And  making  friendship  lasting  and  more  dear. 

"  I  felt  your  charm,  dear  child,  I  saw  how  sweetly 
You  gave  your  kindness,  with  no  thought  of  gain. 
I  give  you  a  reward,  and  how  completely 
I  joy  in  giving,  words  cannot  explain." 


CHAPTER   XH 

A   SERENADE 

JACK  TIVERTON  stood  in  the  lower  hall 
one  morning,  and  appeared  as  if  wait- 
ing for  some  one.  In  his  hand  was  a  short 
switch  that  he  had  cut  from  a  shrub  that 
grew  beside  the  driveway.  Often  he  looked 
up  the  staircase,  and  then,  as  no  one  ap- 
peared, he  would  continue  to  strike  at  the 
flies  that  flew  past  the  doorway. 

At  last  he  heard  merry  voices  upon  the 
landing,  and  then  Dorothy  and  Nancy  came 
hurrying  down  the  stairs. 

'l  Good  morning!  "  they  called,  but  Jack, 
in  his  eagerness  to  ask  questions,  forgot  to 
return  their  greeting. 

"  Say! "  he  cried,  "  do  you  know  that 
222 


A  SERENADE  223 

Mrs.  Paxton  and  Floretta  left  this  morning 
before  breakfast?  ' 

No,  the  little  girls  did  not  know  that. 

"  Well,  they  have.  I  saw  them  go,  and 
I'm  glad.  Floretta  was  fun  to  play  with, 
but  she  wasn't  fair.  She'd  get  me  to  do 
things,  and  then  if  we  got  caught,  she'd  al- 
ways say  I  planned  it,"  said  Jack. 

Dorothy  tried  to  think  of  something  kind 
to  say  of  Floretta,  but  she  knew  that  what 
Jack  said  was  true.  Floretta  truly  was  not 
in  the  habit  of  playing  "  fair." 

"  Her  mamma  said  something  queer  just 
as  she  was  going  off.  She  was  talking  to  a 
lady,  I  don't  know  what  her  name  is,  and 
Mrs.  Paxton  said: 

" '  Well,  Dorothy  Dainty  has  always 
seemed  to  be  fond  of  Nancy,  but  now  that 
Nancy  is  to  have  a  fortune,  shell  love  her 
a  deal  more  than  she  ever  did  before.'  " 


224    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

And  now  Dorothy  spoke,  her  blue  eyes 
flashing,  and  her  cheeks  flushed. 

"  That's  not  true!  "  she  cried.  "  That's 
not  true!  I've  always  loved  Nancy,  and  al- 
ways will.  I'd  love  her  if  she  had  just 
nothing  at  all!  Nothing  could  make 
any  difference.  I  love  her  all  I  can. 
Nancy  knows  that.  Every  one  knows 
that." 

How  keenly  she  felt  Mrs.  Paxton's  silly 
speech! 

She  was  indignant  that  any  one  should 
think  her  love  for  Nancy  so  little  worth 
while  that  fortune  could  make  it  stronger. 

How  could  she  love  Nancy  more  than  she 
had  always  loved  her? 

Nancy  threw  her  arms  about  her,  and 
drew  her  closer. 

"  Don't  you  mind,  Dorothy,"  she  said, 
"  I  know  how  truly  you  love  me.  Mrs. 


A  SERENADE  225 

Paxton  didn't  know,  because  I  guess  she 
couldn't  understand  it.  She  couldn't  love 
the  way  you  do." 

Dorothy  smiled  through  the  tears  that 
had  filled  her  eyes. 

"  There's  no  one  dearer  than  you, 
Nancy,"  she  said. 

Jack  swung  his  switch  at  a  dragon-fly 
that  flew  past  the  doorway. 

"  Did  you  see  that  darning-needle?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  without  waiting 
for  an  answer,  "  I  was  down  the  road  a  few 
days  ago,  trying  to  catch  some  of  those  big 
steel-colored  ones  in  my  fly-net.  I  hadn't 
seen  any  one  after  I  left  this  piazza,  but 
just  as  I  swung  my  net  round  to  catch  the 
dragon-fly,  somebody  said:  '  Look  out,  or 
you'll  get  bitten!  '  and  I  turned  round,  but 
no  one  was  in  sight.  I  was  just  going  to 


226   DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

swing  my  net  again,  when  some  one  giggled, 
and  then  I  saw  a  little  skinny  girl  looking 
at  me  from  between  some  bushes." 

"  What  was  she  doing?  "  Dorothy  asked. 

"  You  couldn't  guess  if  you  tried  for  a 
month!  "  said  Jack. 

"  She  was  sitting  on  a  big  stone,  beside 
a  big  puddle  that  was  left  there  after  the 
shower.  She  said  she  was  playing  she  was 
a  frog,  and  when  she  stared  at  me  through 
her  glasses,  and  smiled,  no,  grinned  at  me, 
I  couldn't  help  thinking  she  looked  like  one. 
Say,  she  had  on  a  green  cloak,  a  regular 
frog-color." 

"  It  must  have  been  Arabella! "  said 
Nancy. 

'  I  don't  know  what  her  name  was.  I 
didn't  ask  her,  but  while  I  watched  her 
she  hopped  off  the  stone  into  the  puddle 
with  both  feet,  and  cried,  '  po-dunk!  '  just 


A  SERENADE  227 

like  an  old  bullfrog.  My!  Weren't  her 
shoes  wet! ' 

"  I  wonder  what  her  Aunt  Matilda  said 
when  she  went  home  with  wet  feet,"  said 
Dorothy. 

Without  noticing  what  she  said,  Jack  con- 
tinued. 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  queer  girl!  "  he  said, 
in  disgust,  "  for  when  I  told  her  dragon- 
flies  would  never  bite,  she  said:  '  They  will. 
They'll  sew  your  eyes,  and  nose,  and  mouth 
up.  Po-dunk!  '  and  she  hopped  back  on  to 
the  stone,  and  grinned  at  me  just  as  slie  did 
at  first.  Say!  She  made  me  feel  queer  to 
look  at  her,  and  I  turned  and  ran  away.  I 
wasn't  afraid  of  her,  of  course,  but  she  did 
make  me  feel  queer! ' 

"  She'd  make  any  one  feel  queer,"  said 
Nancy  as  they  turned  toward  the  dining- 
room. 


228    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Jack  wished  that  they  might  have  stayed 
longer  in  the  hall.  He  had  intended  to  ask 
them  if  they  knew  Arabella,  and  if  she  was 
always  doing  queer  things,  but  Mrs.  Dainty 
and  Aunt  Charlotte  joined  them,  and  they 
went  in  for  breakfast. 

Mrs.  Tiverton,  coming  in  from  an  early 
walk,  took  Jack  with  her  to  the  other  side 
of  the  dining-room.  He  looked  across  at 
them,  and  wondered  what  they  could  have 
told  of  Arabella  if  they  had  had  a  chance. 
He  decided  to  question  them,  whispering 
softly  to  himself: 

"I'll  make  them  tell  me  all  they  know 
about  that  funny  girl." 

For  several  days  he  tried  to  catch  Doro- 
thy or  Nancy  at  a  time  when  he  could  ques- 
tion them. 

He  chased  Dorothy  up  the  long  stairway 
one  morning,  only  to  see  her  disappear  into 


A  SERENADE  229 

her  room.  He  had  not  told  her  that  he  had 
wished  to  talk  with  her,  and  she,  believing 
that  he  was  only  chasing  her  for  fun,  ran 
from  him,  laughing  as  she  went. 

He  found  Nancy,  a  few  minutes  later, 
and  coaxed  her  to  wait  on  the  landing. 

"  Now,  Nancy,"  he  said,  "  you've  got  to 
tell  me  something  about  that  queer  girl 
that  you  and  Dorothy  know." 

"  If  you  mean  Arabella,"  said  Nancy, 
"  I  don't  see  what  I  could  tell  you,  only 
that  she  is  queer,  and  you  know  that 
now." 

"  You'll  better  believe  I  know  it!  "  cried 
Jack,  "  for  I  met  her  again  yesterday,  and 
guess  what  she  was  doing!  ' 

"  Oh,  I  couldn't,"  said  Nancy.  "  No  one 
ever  could  guess  what  Arabella  Corryville 
would  do." 

"  Well,  she  looked  like  a  witch,  and  acted 


230    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

like  one,  too,"  Jack  replied.  "  It  was  yes- 
terday that  I  saw  her.  I  was  going  across 
the  field,  and  had  nearly  reached  the  wall, 
when  I  looked  up,  and  saw  her  sitting  on 
the  top  bar  of  the— the— oh,  the  place 
where  they  take  down  the  bars  to  let  the 
cattle  through." 

"  I  know  where  you  mean,"  said  Nancy, 
"  but  why  was  it  strange  that  she  was  sit- 
ting there?  '• 

11  It  was  what  she  was  doing  that  was 
funny,"  Jack  replied,  "  and  because  you 
couldn't  guess,  I'll  tell  you. 

"  She  didn't  look  toward  me,  though  I'm 
sure  she  must  have  heard  me  coming,  for 
I  was  just  tramping  along,  and  whistling 
all  the  way.  She  was  looking  up  at  the 
clouds,  and  counting,  *  one— two— three- 
very  slowly,  and  when  I  was  close  behind 
her,  she  said: 


A  SERENADE  231 

"  '  Hush— sh— sh!  I'm  charming  the 
crows-!  ' 

"  t  How  long  does  it  take  to  do  it?  '  I 
said,  for  it  sounded  like  nonsense,  and  I 
wanted  to  hurry.  It  was  almost  lunch  time. 

"  '  Hush— sh!  '  she  said  again.  l  There 
comes  one  of  them  now!  '  and  sure  enough 
a  big,  black  crow  did  come  flying  right 
down,  and  perched  on  the  limb  of  an  old 
tree  near  her." 

"  Why,  Jack  Tiverton,"  cried  Nancy, 
"  you  don't  believe  Arabella  really  made 
him  come  down,  do  you?  ' 

"  Of  course  not,"  cried  Jack,  "  but  she 
wanted  me  to  think  so.  Say!  She  said  she 
was  saying  a  charm,  and  when  I  asked  her 
what  it  was,  she  wouldn't  tell  me.  She  said 
it  would  spoil  the  charm  to  tell  it.  She 
looked  funny  sitting  up  there  on  the  top 
rail,  and  staring  at  the  crows  till  her  eyes 


232    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

watered.  She  didn't  look  like  a  '  charmer.' 
She  looked  ever  so  much  more  like  a  scare- 
crow! ' 

"  Oh,  Jack,  it's  horrid  to  say  that!  " 
cried  Nancy,  at  the  same  time  trying  not  to 
let  him  see  how  near  she  was  to  laugh- 
ing. 

"  Well,  she  did!  "  Jack  insisted,  "  and 
you're  almost  laughing  now,  Nancy  Ferris, 
and  you'd  have  screamed  if  you'd  seen 
her  roosting  there,  and  calling  herself  a 
charmer!  Why,  that  old  crow  just  flopped 
down  there  for  fun,  and  when  he  saw  the 
queer-looking  girl,  he  cawed  as  if  it  made 
him  mad,  and  I  didn't  blame  him.  Say! 
She  had  a  shoe  on  one  foot,  and  a  slipper 
on  the  other.  Her  apron  was  put  on  back- 
side-to,  and  she  had  a  hen's  feather  in  each 
hand,  and  she  waved  them  up  and  down 
while  she  mumbled  some  kind  of  a  verse. 


A  SERENADE  233 

She  said  her  clothes  were  put  on  that  way 
to  help  the  chann.  Isn't  she  a  ninny  %  ' 
Just  at  that  moment,  before  Nancy  could 
reply,  Mrs.  Tiverton  called  Jack,  and  Nancy 
ran  to  tell  the  story  of  Arabella's  latest 
freak  to  Dorothy. 

One  afternoon,  a  number  of  little  girls 
were  sitting  on  the  piazza  at  the  Cleverton, 
and  their  merry  voices  attracted  Jack  Tiv- 
erton, who  glanced  up  from  the  book  that 
he  was  reading,  and  then,  because  he 
was  curious  to  know  what  so  interested 
them,  crossed  the  piazza,  and  joined  the 
group. 

Dorothy  and  Nancy,  in  the  big  hammock, 
held  the  book  of  fairy  tales,  Flossie  Barnet 
sat  near  them,  while  the  others,  all  little 
guests  at  the  hotel,  sat  upon  the  railing,  or 
in  the  large  rockers  that  stood  near. 


234    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

Jack  joined  the  row  perched  upon  the 
railing. 

"  Tell  a  fellow  what  you  are  all  talking 
about,  will  you?  Will  you,  please,  I 
mean?  "  he  asked. 

"  Dorothy  Dainty  has  been  reading  us  a 
lovely  story,"  said  a  little  girl,  whose  merry 
eyes  showed  that  she  had  enjoyed  it. 

"  What's  it  about?  "  Jack  asked,  and 
then,  "  Oh,  fairy  tales!  "  he  said. 

"  Don't  you  like  fairy  tales?  "  Flossie 
questioned,  looking  up  at  him. 

No  one  liked  to  differ  with  dear  little 
Flossie,  least  of  all,  Jack  Tiverton. 

"  Oh,  I  like  them  some,"  he  said,  awk- 
wardly, "  but,— are  there  any  stories  about 
bandits  or  pirates  in  that  book?  " 

"Oh,  no,"  they  cried,  in  a  laughing 
chorus,  "  and  there  aren't  any  wild  Indians 
in  it,  either." 


A  SERENADE  235 

"  I  don't  care  much  about  Indian  sto- 
ries," Jack  replied,  "  but  I  do  like  to  read 
about  pirates." 

"  But  just  hear  what  this  one  was 
about,"  said  Nancy. 

"  The  wandering  prince  had,  for  years, 
been  searching  for  a  lovely  princess,  who 
should  look  like  a  beautiful  picture  that 
hung  in  his  father's  palace.  One  day  he 
came  to  a  castle  where  the  people  told  him 
a  handsome  princess  was  imprisoned,  and 
he  asked  why  she  was  kept  there.  They 
told  him  that  she  was  enchanted,  and  that 
some  day,  a  wandering  prince  would  sing 
beneath  her  window,  and  then  the 
spell  would  be  broken,  and  she  would  be 
free." 

Jack  was  interested. 

"  But  s 'posing  he  couldn't  sing?  '  he 
asked. 


236    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

"  Oh,  a  prince  could  surely  sing!  "  said 
Flossie. 

"  And  p'raps  lie  could  sing  under  her 
window,  if  he  couldn't  anywhere  else," 
ventured  a  dreamy-eyed  little  girl  who  sat 
near  Dorothy. 

"  And  how  would  he  know  what  to 
sing?  "  a  cheery  voice  questioned,  and  a 
pair  of  merry  eyes  peered  over  the  piazza 
railing. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Harry! '  cried  Flossie, 
"  what  difference  would  it  make?  ': 

"  All  the  difference  in  the  world,"  de- 
clared Uncle  Harry,  "  for  while  the  proper 
melody  would  set  the  princess  free,  how  are 
we  to  know  that  the  wrong  melody  might 
not  chain  her  closer  than  before!  " 

"  Why,  the  story  doesn't  say  that,"  said 
Nancy. 

Perhaps  not,  but  the  prince  took  an 


.. 


A  SERENADE  237 

awful  risk  when  he  chose  what  to  sing," 
declared  Uncle  Harry. 

"  You're  laughing  when  you  say  it," 
said  Dorothy. 

"  He  is,"  agreed  Flossie,  "  and  what  he 
says  is  funny,  but  I  know  this:  I'd  love  to 
hear  some  one  singing  under  my  window !  ' 

Some  ladies,  who  sat  near  enough  to  hear 
the  conversation,  were  amused  at  the  chil- 
dren's enthusiasm,  and  at  Uncle  Harry's 
evident  interest. 

"  The  prince  had  his  guitar  slung  over 
his  shoulder  by  a  ribbon,"  said  Dorothy. 
"  See  the  picture,"  and  she  slipped  from 
the  hammock,  and  offered  the  book  that  he 
might  see  the  illustration. 

"I'm  glad  he  carried  his  guitar  instead 
of  a  banjo,"  he  said. 

"  Why  are  you  glad  of  that?  "  Plossie 
asked. 


238    DOROTHY,  rAT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

11  Oh,  because  I  really  am,  in  fact,  I  might 
even  say  I  am  delighted,"  he  replied. 

"I  do  believe  he  intends  to  serenade 
those  children,"  said  a  handsome  woman, 
to  her  friend  who  sat  beside  her;  "  he  is  a 
brilliant  man,  and  one  who  is  blessed  with 
many  talents,  and  one  of  his  greatest 
charms  is  his  love  of  children.  He  will  go 
far  out  of  his  way  to  afford  them  a  bit  of 
fun." 

That  evening,  when  nearly  every  one  had 
left  the  piazza,  and  all  of  the  children  were 
in  their  rooms,  the  soft  twanging  of  guitar 
strings  floated  up  toward  Flossie's  window. 

She  was  not  yet  asleep,  and  she  sat  up  in 
bed,  and  listened. 

Yes,  it  was  a  guitar!  Was  it  Uncle 
Harry's? 

A  little  prelude  softly  played,  drew  her 
toward  the  window. 


A  SERENADE  239 

She  crept  closer,  and  peeped  out.  Yes, 
there  he  was,  looking  right  up  toward  her 
window. 

Now  his  fine  voice  was  softly  singing, 
and  Flossie  held  her  breath. 

"  Under  thy  window,  my  little  lady, 
Under  thy  window,  Flossie  dear, 
Here  where  the  moonbeams  softly  flicker, 
Sing  I  this  song  that  you  may  hear. 

"  Moonlight,  and  starlight  weave  enchantment, 
Yet  shall  my  song  your  freedom  bring, 
You  shall  be  happy  little  lady, 
Give  me  your  love  for  the  song  I  sing." 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Harry,  you  have  it  now! ' 
cried  Flossie.     "  I  love  you,  when  you're 
singing,  and  all  the  time." 

"  I  know  that,  dear  little  girl,  but  I  must 
have  my  fun,  so  I  came  here  to  sing  the  song 
I  made  for  you/'  he  said  gently. 

"  Well,  you're  dear,"  she  cried,  "  and  I'll 
throw  you  a  kiss,"  and  she  did,  reaching 


240    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

far  out  of  the  window  that  he  might  surely 
see  her. 

"  I  caught  it!  "  he  cried,  and  as  he 
turned  toward  the  porch,  she  heard 
him  softly  strumming  the  prelude 
again. 

Others  had  heard  the  pretty  song,  for 
Dorothy  and  Nancy  had  a  room  next  to 
Flossie's. 

The  next  morning  he  was  coaxed  and 
teased  to  sing  the  song  again,  but  he  de- 
clared that  he  could  only  sing  it  in  the 
moonlight,  that  the  daylight  would  spoil  its 
effect. 

The  sunny  days  sped  on  wings,  and  soon 
the  guests  began  to  think  of  turning  home- 
ward. 

Mrs.  Dainty's  party  and  the  Barnets 
were  to  leave  the  hotel  at  the  same  time, 
and  Dorothy,  Nancy,  and  Flossie  were  de- 


A  SERENADE  241 

lighted  that  they  were  to  take  the  return 
trip  together. 

They  were  talking  of  the  pleasures  that 
they  were  looking  forward  to,  and  telling  of 
some  delightful  events  that  were  already 
planned,  when  Jack  Tiverton  gave  them  a 
genuine  surprise. 

"  Mamma  has  just  told  me  something 
fine,"  he  said,  "  and  I  ran  right  down  to  tell 
it  to  you." 

"  Oh,  tell  it  quick!  "  said  Flossie. 

"  We're  going  to  live  in  Memvale, 
and  we'll  be  there  soon  after  we  leave 
here.  I'm  glad.  Are  you,  all  of  you?  "  he 
asked. 

"  Of  course  we're  glad,"  said  Dorothy 
and  Nancy;  and  Flossie  hastened  to 
add: 

"  Every  one  of  us  is  glad." 

There  were  bright  days,  and  many  pleas- 


242    DOROTHY  AT  THE  MOUNTAINS 

ures  in  store  for  the  little  friends,  and  those 
who  would  like  also  to  enjoy  them,  and  to 
know  what  happened  during  the  winter, 
may  read  of  all  this  in 

"  Dorothy  Dainty's  Holidays." 


THE  DOROTHY  DAINTY  SERIES 

By  AflY   BROOKS 

iLarge  12mo     Cloth     Illustrated  by  the  Authot 
Price,  $1.00  each 


Dorothy  Dainty 
Dorothy's  Playmates 
Dorothy  Dainty  at  School 
Dorothy  Dainty  at  the  Short 
Dorothy  Dainty  fa  the  City 
Dorothy  Dainty  at  Home 
Dorothy  Dainty's  day  Times 
Dorothy  Dainty  in  the  Country 
Dorothy  Dainty's  Winter 
Dorothy  Dainty  in  the  Mountains 
Dorothy  Dainty's  Holidays 
Dorothy  Dainty's  Vacation 


v*  LITTLB  DOROTHY  DAINTY  is  one  of  the  most  generous-hearted  ol 
zhildren.  Selfishness  is  not  at  all  a  trait  of  hers,  and  she  knows  the  value 
if  making  sunshine,  not  alone  in  her  own  heart,  but  for  her  neighbor* 
lood  and  friends."— Boston  Courier. 

•*  DOROTHY  DAINTY,  a  little  girl,  the  only  child  of  wealthy  parents, 
is  an  exceedingly  interesting  character,  and  her  earnest  and  interesting 
life  is  full  of  action  and  suitable  auventure." — Pittsburg  Christian  Ad* 
vocate. 


**No  finer  little  lady  than  DOROTHY  DAINTY 
was  ever  placed  in  a  book  for  children."—* 
Teacher?  Journa^  Pittsbttrg. 

"Miss  BROOKS  is  a  popular  writer  tor 
the  very  little  folks  who  can  read.  She 
has  an  immense  sympathy  for  the  children, 
and  her  stories  never  fail  to  be  amusing.  '*— 
Rochester  (Jf.  Y.)  fftraU. 


LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  BOSTON 


THE  PRUE  BOOKS 

By  ANY  BROOKS 
Illustrated  by  the  Author    12mo    Cloth    Price,  £3.00  each 

CUNNING  little  Prue,  one  of  the  most 
winsome  little  girls  ever  "  put  in  a 
book,"  has  already  been  met  in  another 
series  where  she  gave  no  small  part  of 
the  interest.  She  well  deserved  books 
cf  her  own  for  little  girls  of  her  age, 
and  they  are  now  ready  with  everything 
in  the  way  of  large,  clear  type,  and 
Miss  Brooks's  best  pictures  and  her 
pleasing  cover  designs  to  make  them 
attractive. 

Little  Sister  Prue  Prue's  Merry  Times 

Prue  at  School  Prue's  Little  Friends 

Prue's  Playmates          Prue's  Jolly  Winter 

"Miss  Brooks  always  brings  out  the  best 
ways  of  acting  and  living  and  provides  a  good 
deal  of  humor  in  her  original  country  char- 
acters.**— Watchman,  Boston. 

"Few  writers  have  ever  possessed  the 
faculty  of  reaching  the  hearts  and  holding  the 
interest  of  little  girl  readers  to  tne  extent  Miss 
Brooks  has.  "-^f'ennebec  Journal,  AugustatMe. 

*'To  know  Prue  is  to  love  her,  for  no 
more  winsome  little  girl  was  ever  put  in  a  book, 
and  her  keen  wit  and  unexpected  Jrolleries 
make  her  doubly  attractive." — Kindergarten  Magazine. 

For  tale  by  all  booksellers  or  sear  postpaid  on  receipt 
of  price  by  the  publishers 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  BOSTON 


THE    RANDY   BOOKS 

By  AMY  BROOKS 

lamo     CLOTH      ARTISTIC  COVER  DESIGN  IN  GOLD  AND  COLORS 
ILLUSTRATED  BY  THE  AUTHOR    PRICE  $1.00  EACH 

The  progress  of  the  "  Randy  Books  " 
has  been  one  continual  triumph  over  th« 
hearts  of  girls  of  all  ages,  for  dear  little 
fun-loving  sister  Prue  is  almost  as  much 
a  central  figure  as  Randy,  growing  to- 
ward womanhood  with  each  book.  The 
sterling  good  sense  and  simple  naturaU  I 
ness  of  Randy,  and  the  total  absence  of 
slang  and  viciousness,  make  these  books 
in  the  highest  degree  commendable, 
while  abundant  life  is  supplied  by  the 
doings  of  merry  friends,  and  there  is  rich 
hunior  in  the  droll  rural  characters. 


Randy's  Summer  Randy's  Good  Times 

Randy's  Winter  Randy's  Luck 

Randy  and  Her  Friends     Randy's  Loyalty 
Randy  and  Prue  Randy's  Prince 


"  The  Randy  Books  are  among  the  very 
choicest  books  for  young  people  to  make 
*  beginning  with." 

—Boston  Conner* 

•*The  Randy  Books  of  Amy  Brooks 
have  had  a  deserved  popularity  among 
young  girls.  They  are  wholesome  and 
moral  without  being  goody-goody." 

•^-Chicago  Post. 


LOTHROP,    LEE    &    SHEPARD    CO.,   BOSTON 


Is 
jour 


Only  Doffte 

By  NINA  RHOADES    Illustrated  by  Berth* 
Square  i2mo    Cloth    $1.00 

•fHIS  is  a  brightly  written  story  of  a.  girl  of 
'  *  twelve,  who,  when  the  mystery  of  her  birth 
s  solved,  like  Cinderella,  passes  from  drudgery  to 
better  circumstances.  There  is  nothing  strained 
or  unnatural  at  any  point.  All  descriptions  or 
portrayals  of  character  are  life-like,  and  the 
book  has  an  indescribable  appealing  quality 
rhich  wins  sympathy  and  secures  success. 

••It  it  delightful  reading  at  all  times."  —  Cedar 
Rapids  (la.)  Republican. 

•  It  Is  well  written,  the  story  rnna  smoothly,  the  Idea 

good,  and  <"  is  handled  with  ability.—  Chicago 

raai. 

The  Little  Oirl  Next  Door  _ 

By  NINA  RHOADES    Large  12  mo    Cloth    Illustrated 
by  Bertha  Davidson    $1.00 

A  DELIGHTFUL  story  of  true  and  genuine  friendship  between  an 
impulsive  little  girl  in  a  fine  N"w  York  home  and  a  little  blind  gill 
b  en  apartment  next  door.  The  kttle  girl's  determination  to  cultivate 
the  acquaintance,  begun  out  of  the  window  during  a  rainy  day,  triumph! 
pver  the  barriers  of  caste,  and  tiie  little  blind  girl  proves  to  be  in  every 
*ay  a  worthy  companion.  Later  a  mystery  of  birth  is  cleared  up,  and  th« 
little  blind  girl  proves  to  be  of  gentle  birth  as  well  as  of  gentle  manners. 

Winifred's  Neighbors 

By  NINA  RHOADES  Illustrated 
by  Bertha  G.  Davidson  Large 
i2mo  Cloth  $1.00 

j  ITTLE  Winifred's  efforts  to  find  some 
*—  '  children  of  whom  she  reads  in  a  book 
lead  to  ths  acquaintance  of  a  neighbor 
of  the  same  name,  *nd  this  acquaintance 
proves  of  the  greatest  importance  to  Winifred's 
cwn  family.  Through  it  all  she  is  just  such  a 


. 

mil  hcla  tne 


t  of  all  ages. 


»«lr  tf  off  booksellers,  or  sent  postpai*  an  rectitt 
y/ price  by  the  ftibliskers 

LEE  &   SHEPARO   " 


BOSTON 


THE  CHILDREN 
ON  THE  TOP  FLOOR 


The  Children  on  the  Top  Floor 

By  NINA  RHOADES  Large  1 2mo 
Cloth  Illustrated  by  Bertha 
Davidson  $1.00 

Pthis  book  little  Winifred  Hamilton,  the 
child  heroine  of  "Winifred's  Neighbors," 
jreappears,  living  in  the  second  of  the  four 
stories  of  a  New  York  apartment  house.  On 
the  top  floor  are  two  very  interesting  children, 
Betty,  a  little  older  than  Winifred,  who  is  now 
ten,  and  Jack,  a  brave  little  cripple,  who  is  a 
:year  younger.  In  the  end  comes  a  glad  re- 
pinion,  and  also  other  good  fortune  for  crippled 
Jack;  and  Winifred's  kind  little  heart  has  once 
more  indirectly  caused  great  happiness  to  others, 

How  Barbara  Kept  Her  Promise 

By  NINA  RHOADES    Large  1 2mo    Cloth    Illustrated 

by  Bertha  Davidson     $1.00 

TTWO  orphan  sisters,  Barbara,  aged  twelve,  and  little  Hazel,  who  is 
*  "only  eight,"  are  sent  from  their  early  home  in  London  to  their 
mother's  family  in  New  York.  Faithful  Barbara  has  promised  her  father 
that  she  will  take  care  of  pretty,  petted,  mischievous  Hazel,  and  how  she 
tries  to  do  this,  even  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties,  forms  the  story  which 
has  the  happy  ending  which  Miss  Rhoades  wisely  gives  to  all  her  stories. 

Little  Miss  Rosamond 

By  NINA  RHOADES  Illus- 
trated by  Bertha  G.  Davidson 
Large  i2tno  Cloth  $1.00 

OOSAMOND  lives  in  Richmond,  Va., 
*  *•  with  her  big  brother,  who  cannot 
give  her  all  the  comfort  that  she  needs  in 
the  trying  hot  weather,  and  she  goes  to  the 
seaside  cottage  of  an  uncle  whose  home 
is  in  New  York.  Here  she  meets  Gladys 
and  Joy,  so  well  known  in  a  previous 
book,  "The  Little  Girl  Next  Door,"  and 
after  some  complications  are  straightened 
out,  bringing  Rosamond's  honesty  and 
kindness  of  heart  into  prominence,  all  are  made  vary  happy. 

For  sale  by  all  booksellers  or  sent  postpaid  on  receipt 
of  price  by  the  publishers 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,  BO5TON 


"Brick  House  Books" 

By  NINA  RHOADES 
Cloth    12mo    lltostrited    $1.00  each 


Priscilla  of  the 

Doll  Shop 

"THE  "  Brick  House  Books,"  as  they  are 
called  from  their  well-known  cover  de- 
signs, are  eagerly  sought  by  children  all  over 
the  country.  Tbei  •  are  three  good^stories  in 
this  book,  instead  of  one,  and  it  is  hard  to 
say  which  little  girls,  and  boys,  too,  for  that 
matter,  will  like  the  best. 

Brave  Little  Peggy 

DEGGY  comes  from  California  to  New  Jersey  to  live  with  a  brother  and 
*  sister  whom  she  nas  not  known  since  very  early  childhood.  She  is  so 
democratic  in  her  social  ideas  that  many  amusing  scenes  occur,  and  it  is 
hard  for  her  to  undeistand  many  things  that  she  must  learn.  But  her  good 
heart  carries  her  through,  and  her  conscientiousness  and  moral  courage 
win  affection  and  happiness. 


The  Other  Sylvia 

JT1  IGHT-year-old  Sylvia  l:arns  that  girls  who 
are  "  Kings'  Daughters  "  pledge  themselves 
to  some  kind  act  or  service,  and  that  one  little 
girl  named  Mary  has  taken  it  upon  herself  to  be 
helpful  to  all  the  Marys  of  her  acquaintance. 
This  is  such  ?n  interesting  way  of  doing  good  that 
she  adopts  it  in  spite  of  her  unusual  name,  and 
really  finds  not  only  "  the  other  Sylvia,"  but  great 
happiness. 


For  sale  by  all  bookseller*  or  seat  postpaid  on  receipt  of 
price  by  the  publishers 

LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO.,    BOSTON 


